Xavi to Barcelona: A difficult deal... but not impossible

  /  autty

Xavi Hernandez has been strongly linked with replacing Ronald Koeman if Barcelona opt to part ways with the Dutch coach.

The Catalan, who made a total of 767 appearances for Barcelona during his playing days, is seen as having all of the requirements to take charge at the Camp Nou: he has Barcelona DNA; his style of play is similar to Pep Guardiola's glory years; he is a legend at the club; he is popular amongst the supporters; he understands the club; he has experience as a coach with Al Sadd; and he has a good relationship with the sporting director, Jordi Cruyff.

Yet, there are three main points that need to be clarified if Xavi is to become Barcelona's next head coach.

Xavi doesn't want to step on Koeman's toes

Xavi would not be prepared to begin negotiations with Barcelona all the time that there is a coach currently in place, and even less so because it is Koeman, whom he considers to be an icon at the club. The Catalan coach is no doubt watching what is unfolding at the Camp Nou with a sense of sadness, but he would never betray someone like Koeman by entering into talks while there is someone currently in charge.

Conversation with Laporta

Xavi gets along well with Barcelona president Joan Laporta and there is a mutual respect between the pair. While Xavi was viewed as Victor Font's candidate during Barcelona's presidential elections, the 41-year-old never publicly tied himself to Font, nor anyone else. He always remained neutral, in public at least.

If Laporta decides that now is the time for Xavi to take charge of Barcelona, they will have to sit down and talk. Back in January 2020 Xavi turned down an approach from then-president Josep Maria Bartomeu, but it is a different situation now and it seems only a matter of time before he ends up returning to the Camp Nou. But, he is in no hurry. Should Xavi be convinced of Barcelona's project, he would be prepared to take the job immediately, even though the season has already started.

Xavi and Qatar

Xavi has always stressed that he and his family are very happy in Qatar, with his plan - on paper at least - being to stay in the country until 2023. He even penned a new deal with Al Sadd until after the 2022 World Cup just a couple of months ago.

During his time as a coach in Qatar, Xavi has lifted one league title, two Qatar Cups, one Qatari Super Cup, an Emir Cup and a Qatari Stars Cup. In October, Al Sadd will face Laurent Blanc's Al Rayyan in the Emir Cup final.

Therefore, if Barcelona were to contact Xavi about replacing Koeman, the Catalan would first have to ask permission from his Qatari bosses, who have always had a lot of faith in him. It is expected that they would not stand in his way, given his history at Barcelona.

It is now possible that Xavi could arrive at Barcelona as head coach, yes, but first there are some things that need to be discussed.

Related: Barcelona
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