Xavi had been due to leave Barça at the end of the season, but the Champions League exit to PSG prompted a U-turn.
Xavi Hernández has reversed his decision to leave Barcelona at the end of the season and will continue as the head coach of the LaLiga giants in 2024/25. The U-turn has been confirmed at meeting between club bosses after the 44-year-old had said on 27 January he would be leaving the club on 30 June following a tough run of results.
Xavi to stay at Barcelona, but under which conditions?
After talks with the sports director Deco and later with Barça president Joan Laporta at his private residence, an agreement has reportedly been reached. Xavi, who had earlier hinted that he would only stay on if certain conditions were met, has ended up accepting those put on the table by the club.
President Laporta is expected to make an official statement in the media on Thursday confirming Xavi will be continuing as head coach until his contract expires in 2025.
The big questions on Wednesday night surround the conditions under which Xavi has agreed to continue, with speculation that Barça have made demands regarding his the coaching staff.
Will Xavi’s brother Óscar Hernández be removed as assistant coach?
The name of Domènec Torrent, a former assistant to Pep Guardiola at Camp Nou, is one of several that have linked with a role at the club next season. His arrival could see Óscar Hernández, Xavi’s brother, and Sergio Alegre being removed from their current positions as assistant coaches. There are also suggestions club management would like a new fitness coach put in place.
As well as Xavi, Deco and Laporta, sports vice president Rafael Yuste, Alejandro Echevarría, the president’s “unofficial” right-hand man, and football coordinator Bojan Krkic were all involved in the meeting, the outcome of which is that Xavi will stay as head coach until June 2025, when his contract runs out.
After a disappointing season, which will end without a trophy, the former Barça captain will have another chance to lead the club back to their former glories.
Why has Xavi decided to continue as Barcelona head coach?
Xavi had hoped to reach the Champions League final in London and compete with Real Madrid for the league title. Had Barcelona achieved that, there would have been no doubt about him staying on.
However, those closest to him believe his anger at how the Catalans’ UCL elimination at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain came about is what ultimately persuaded him to changed his mind. With Barcelona unfairly knocked out, in his view, Xavi was more determined than ever to continue.
Neither Laporta nor Deco was surprised by the coach’s change of heart, although it has given them an opportunity to make demands. Instead of listening to Xavi’s conditions, they have imposed theirs, and they have been accepted.
It now remains to be seen what the coaching staff set-up will be next season. And, more importantly, how the dressing room will respond after Xavi had previously stated that he would be leaving on 30 June.
What we do know, though, is that Xavi will spend one more year in the Barcelona dugout and he is now expected to be the man to lead them back to Camp Nou towards the end of 2024. But can he also lead them to them to more silverware?