4 reasons that Barcelona U-turning on Xavi now and have said nothing about it

The apparent U-turn on Xavi Hernandez’s future at Barcelona has been met with incredulity across the board – perhaps not the Barcelona one – but there are certain reasons that President Joan Laporta may have decided on a course of action that seemingly leaves nobody looking good.

During a radio debate on Cadena SER, Santi Gimenez has compared the situation to Laporta’s first summer in charge of his second mandate, where he asked Ronald Koeman to wait two weeks to see if he could find a better option, before eventually sticking with him. Meanwhile Sique Rodriguez explained that perhaps backing the manager was part of the plan to ensure Barcelona did not relinquish second spot (and the many millions that come with competing in the Spanish Supercup), and that most of the board were already under the impression that he would be leaving at the end of the season.

There were a number of reports that Laporta would meet with Xavi this week to clarify his situation, but that appears to have been postponed until next week. Rodriguez goes on to point out that this will help keep the noise around the club at a lower level in the run up to Barcelona Femeni’s Champions League final with Olympique Lyon this Saturday.

It should also be noted that the news around Xavi’s job security started to ramp up just after reports called into question the legality of a move from Laporta’s board to secure the bank guarantee necessary to be elected. Last week it emerged that a company that is in the employ of Barcelona helped loan money to Laporta and his board, while receiving contracts from them,  and yet this loan has not been paid back.

There remains little certainty, and it cannot be ruled out that Xavi stays at the club, especially given the enormous cost of sacking him and his staff. Nevertheless, all signs seem to point to Barcelona looking to go in a different direction, and with reports of player discontent emerging now, it seems difficult to go back. If Xavi were to stay on, the pressure on both Laporta and Xavi would be on the rise at the start of next season.