Xavi told Laporta he could win Champions League with current squad

When Barcelona President Joan Laporta broke down in tears as he explained the decision to continue with Xavi as manager at the start of May, it looked as if that would be the case. Yet just weeks later, all of the reporting coming out of the Catalan capital is that Xavi Hernandez will leave the club.

One of the purported reasons was Laporta’s fury at Xavi’s statements in a press conference. For many, Xavi had simply stated a reality when he said it would be difficult for his side to compete against the likes of Real Madrid and the European giants in the Champions League given their financial constraints.

Hence it seemed misplaced when Laporta considered sacking Xavi as a result of those statements, and a damaging defeat against Girona. One of the reasons, as per Bar Canaletes, is that Xavi had told Laporta during their showdown talks that he felt he could win the Champions League with the current squad, and one or two tweaks.

This, clearly, is quite a departure from what he expressed in the press conference, but equally perhaps suggests that Laporta and the board were never entirely convinced by Xavi remaining at the club. It is worth recalling that Xavi was reportedly on the verge of the sack before he announced his decision to resign, and despite an upturn in results, have not found a clear direction either.