Xavi’s announcement of resignation earlier this year left Barcelona officials in shock, who had not prepared anything for his potential replacement. The decision came as much of a shock to them as everyone else.
Barcelona want Xavi to continue as the head coach, and will do everything in their power to convince him to stay.
But knowing that the task at hand will be very difficult, Barcelona have been trying to sort out potential replacements. However, they are yet to reach a consensus about who should come in as a replacement.
Most of the shortlisted names miss something or the other in Barcelona’s criteria, a list that contains Hansi Flick, Roberto De Zerbi, Luis Enrique, and outgoing Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel.
Barcelona’s concerns with Tuchel
According to a report published by The Athletic, Barcelona are not completely convinced by Tuchel due to his behavioural issues.
The way Tuchel left his managerial position at PSG, Chelsea, and now Bayern Munich does not create a good look within Barcelona.
The German manager took PSG to the Champions League and won Ligue 1 while in charge, but his team was severely underperforming by the second half of his tenure.
He had also criticised the Parisian club publicly and had issues within the dressing room regarding his attitude, which is not something Barcelona would be happy with.
At Chelsea, he had rifts with the new owner Todd Boehly during his third season in charge, and was eventually sacked with the Blues massively underperforming.
Tuchel has also been int he news during his time at Bayern Munich due to his rifts with players, such as Joshua Kimmich, and his tactical stubbornness.
He is set to leave the Bavarians at the end of the season, though, after losing the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen.
Barcelona want to convince Xavi
Barcelona seem to have some kind of problem with every coach that has been shortlisted. For some, like Hansi Flick, it is linguistic issues, while for others, like Thomas Tuchel, the doubts are related to his behaviour.
The club is more than happy with the progress Xavi has made as a manager, and they will do their best to convince him to stay beyond the summer.
Further, since the board has been unable to reach a mutual consensus about the new manager, coupled with monetary worries, they have concluded that counting on Xavi is their best bet right now.
