Xavi Hernandez tendered his resignation at Barcelona earlier in the season after consistent criticism of his team’s performances, and since then the Catalan outfit have been brilliant.
The big story surrounding Barcelona over the last two months has centred around head coach Xavi Hernandez, who announced in January that he would be stepping down from his position at the end of the season.
Since Xavi revealed his decision, the Blaugrana have been in very good form, and they remain unbeaten in their last 11 matches, which, has led to increased speculation that the 44-year-old could end up staying on for another 12 months.
Notably, Joan Laporta, Rafa Yuste and Deco have all publicly called for him to remain.
Relevo has reported that the Barcelona squad see their manager with renewed enthusiasm over the last few weeks, and as such, some believe that he will stay for next season. This opinion is also shared by members of the club’s hierarchy.
Some big names have appeared in the picture to take over the affairs of club management since the former club captain tendered his resignation, notably, Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola and a couple of others.
However, speaking to caught offside on the chances of Iraola handling affairs, Fabrizio Romano refuted the claims, saying he has no knowledge of a meeting between both parties.
“Honestly, I’ve nothing on Barca and Iraola so far,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive Daily Briefing.
“Barcelona have clear intentions in any case. Laporta wants to wait for Xavi, hoping for him to change his mind. Barça will wait again for Xavi, for sure.”
“Then if he decides to confirm that he wants to leave Barca will consider other candidates, but they’re not advancing in talks with any other coach as they want to wait for Xavi.”
At this stage, it does appear that Barcelona’s primary objective is to convince Xavi to stay on as head coach. Their managerial search has been put on hold of late, and it does appear that their efforts won’t be in vain.
FC Barcelona will travel to the French capital next Wednesday for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain.
