Barcelona's 1-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano was Barcel's third defeat in their last four league games, and the club announced that they had hired manager Koeman.
After Koeman's dismissal, sources revealed that the club would negotiate the vacancy with Javi Hernandez on Friday, with the former Barcelles captain now the first choice.
However, it was added that Barca do not expect a replacement until after the international match day in November. The next three games against Alaves, Dynamo Kyiv and Celta will be handled by the interim coaching staff.
Koeman's position had been severely weakened by the poor results ahead of the international break in October, and this week's back-to-back defeats against Real Madrid and Leo proved to be a turning point.
The 58-year-old boss leads a team that finishes ninth in the league and is likely to miss out on the Champions League knockout stage for the first time in 20 years, and the team has yet to win any of the games this season.
The club said in a statement: "FC Barcelona dismissed Ronald Koeman as first-team coach", and club president Joan Laporta informed him of the decision after the match with Vallecano.
Koeman will say goodbye to the team at the training base on Thursday. FC Barcelona thanked him for his contribution to the club and wished him every success in his career. ”
As for Xavi, the former midfielder has won a series of trophies for Barca during his 17 years at the club, including eight La Liga titles and four Champions League medals. He joined Al Sad in 2015 and became head coach of Qatari club after hanging up his boots in 2019. It was his only coaching experience to date.
Along with Harvey, sources said Belgian Roberto Martinez was also among the candidates.
Hours before he was fired, when asked if the results put his job at risk, Koeman said: "I don't know. Koeman was appointed by former president Josep Maria Bartomeu 13 months ago to succeed Kirk Setien after Barca lost 8-2 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League in August 2020.
He left his job in the Netherlands, paid compensation to the Dutch Football Federation out of his own pocket, and began what he called "dream job".
In his first and only full season in charge, he led Barca to the Copa del Rey and finished third in La Liga. Paris Saint-Germain eliminated them in the Champions League round of 16.