After an intense afternoon of frantic meetings at Barça, there has been an unexpected plot twist: in the end, it has been confirmed that Xavi Hernández will complete his contract as FC Barcelona coach, as revealed by Mundo Deportivo. The Terrassa coach, who had told the club in January that he intended to leave the coaching role on June 30th, has ended up changing his mind after pressure from president Joan Laporta and the club management team, who had previously let him know the requirements on the part of the club. His final decision was taken this Wednesday after meeting with blaugrana sporting director Deco and then with the president.
Meetings at Can Barça to resolve Xavi's future
It has been a very long day at Can Barça. This morning there was a meeting of the board of directors, to be followed this afternoon by an encounter between Deco and Xavi Hernández at the club's Joan Gamper sporting complex. All of this to answer the question of who will manage the culer team after the summer.
Xavi, who had announced on January 27th that he would leave Barça at the end of the season, wanted to hear the proposal that Barça would make, on the need for his continuity for economic reasons. However, there were also some key changes requested, in particular in the area of the physical preparation of the players and also with regard to the figure of Óscar Hernández, Xavi's brother and number two coach.
Barça convinced Xavi Hernández
The meeting between Xavi Hernández and Deco ended up being transferred to Joan Laporta's home, and was also attended by vice president Rafa Yuste and Alejandro Echevarría, one of the blaugrana president's trusted figures. The discussion covered all the details that Barça needs for the coming season.
And the meeting bore fruit. The group ended up convincing Xavi Hernández of the need for him to continue in the post, although they also put some changes on the table. The club is also thought to have made some new commitments.
An unexpected decision that has led to a radical change in direction at the end of a week that was both very intense and disastrous for the sporting interests of the club, including the elimination from the Champions League by PSG and the defeat in the Clàssic against Real Madrid. It is now expected that Joan Laporta will hold a press conference this Thursday to announce the details of the changes agreed. Xavi Hernández will complete the final year of his contract to the end of the 2024-2025 season.