All of the managers that Barcelona Sporting Director contacted to replace Xavi amid Joan Laporta claim

Barcelona President Joan Laporta has claimed the club did not look for a new manager during the time that Xavi Hernandez claimed he would leave in the summer, but that contradicts a body of information swirling around various media outlets.

Xavi’s continuity in the Barcelona job was announced on Wednesday night, and the following day Laporta called a press conference alongside his coach. The Barcelona president was asked if there was a replacement lined up.

“I have a lot of affinity with Xavi, I understandhim as a coach. I told him that we would not do anything until the end of the season, that we would not look for a coach, waiting to see how it finished and how he felt. Everything evolves during the course of this year. We draw positive conclusions. We have gone through complex situations, winning with Barca is more difficult. We have not entered into negotiations with any coach. We have not spoken to any of them because there was the hope that Xavi would think about it.”

However that is not the consensus in the Catalan media, or beyond. Just before Xavi’s announcement was made, there were reports that German coach Hansi Flick had a meeting scheduled with Barcelona the day after the meeting with Xavi. Meanwhile Bologna coach Thiago Motta was one of their top options, as per Sport, with the club having leaked that Rafael Marquez, the Barca Atletic manager, was the most likely to replace Xavi last week.

The same source also claim that Sporting Director Deco, who was seemingly against Xavi’s continuity, had been in contact with no fewer than six managers in recent months. Flick, Thomas Tuchel and Roberto de Zerbi are well documented cases, but Arne Slot, Andoni Iraola and Ralf Rangnick have hit less headlines.

Were Laporta’s statement the truth of the matter, then it would show a remarkable lack of preparation for the coming season. Most clubs know not just their managers for the coming season, but also have their transfer targets lined up. With no certainty on the manager next season, Barcelona will be playing catch up on the latter.