Many major European teams have had their coaches leave this season, and who will take over the new coaches of Bayern Munich and Liverpool is still a hot topic of media attention. Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez is one of them, he said at the beginning of the year that he would leave the team at the end of this season, and has repeatedly said at press conferences that he will not change his mind, but the latest news is that he has decided to stay with the team and fulfill his original contract until the summer of 2025.
After taking charge in 2021, Xavi led Barcelona to the La Liga title last season, which had been lost for three years, but the team's results have declined this season, with the Spanish Super Cup and the Spanish Cup falling into disadvantage in January, and the Spanish coach announced his departure at the end of the season after losing 3-5 to Villarreal later in the month.
Interestingly, Barcelona have since rebounded, going unbeaten in 13 games in all competitions, including reaching the last eight of the Champions League and beating Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the quarter-finals, only to be eliminated in the second leg. ESPN pointed out that Barcelona President Joan Laporta and other senior executives want Xavi to stay in the team, even if they lost to Real Madrid in the national derby on Monday (22nd) and have no hope of winning the title, but it does not hinder Barcelona's attitude of keeping people.
The report continued that the board of directors held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the manager's situation and reiterate their preference for Xavi to stay in the post, and after Xavi met with Laporta and other senior officials that night, the two sides reached a final agreement.
In fact, Xavi has publicly stated on several occasions during this period that he will not change his mind, and after beating PSG 3-2 in the first leg of the Champions League two weeks ago, he told reporters that "leaving the team is the right decision, my decision will not change".
Fabrizio Romano, a well-known football journalist, said that Barcelona vice-president Rafa Yuste confirmed that Xavi would stay, and that the team has never made official contact with other managers because sporting director Deco believes in Xavi very much.
After the meeting, Rafa Yuste told reporters that Xavi showed his commitment to Barcelona: "He is a Barça man, as a manager he can lead us to execute the plan and also help the young players develop. I'm sure he's going to do a good job, he's a great Barça fan (culé, Catalan). ”
He added that Barcelona did not discuss team changes during the meeting, and Xavi showed enthusiasm and would support him and his team. According to ESPN, Xavi has signed a one-year extension with the team until June 30, 2025, after leading Barcelona to the La Liga title last season. Spanish "Sport", "Marca" and other media said that he has agreed to fulfill the contract, which means that he will continue to coach Barcelona for at least one season.