Barcelona Narrow Down Their Manager Search To Two Options

Barcelona’s hunt for a new manager has been narrowed down to just two choices after Xavi Hernandez stated earlier this year that he would be quitting the team.

Though the search has apparently been reduced to just two possibilities, Joan Laporta and colleagues have reportedly been working hard to find a replacement for the departing club veteran. Among the names they have been linked to are Julian Nagelsmann, Hansi Flick, Roberto De Zerbi, and Ruben Amorim. According to SPORT, the two choices are: signing Barca Atletic boss Rafa Marquez for the first team or Xavi potentially reversing his decision to leave the Catalan side this summer.

READ ALSO: Barca Boss Xavi Gives Ultimate Compliment To Yamal

Barcelona’s financial problems are well known, which is one of the reasons Laporta and Deco, the sports director, have been trying to persuade Xavi to remain with the team for a minimum of another season. At the height of Barca’s financial problems, the 44-year-old reportedly signed on for an absurdly cheap salary in comparison to some of his predecessors. Xavi’s relatively low wages help the club out financially, while also having a Barcelona legend at the helm aligns with the successful model that Laporta employed during his first tenure at the club. Another reason for wanting to keep Xavi is the fact that despite the mediocre season this time around, Xavi has already won the league once and is believed to have the potential to turn around the situation once again.

According to the SPORT article, Marquez is being evaluated as a backup because of his connections to Deco and Laporta, as well as his familiarity with Barca Atletic and the club’s policy of elevating its young players into the starting lineup. There’s also the apparent point that, like Xavi, the Mexican would be paid relatively little. In addition, he has Jorge Mendes representing him; the latter is a close friend of Laporta’s and might help with the move to the first team on a contract.

On Monday morning, Laporta was spotted at the Barcelona training grounds, minutes before the start of the first team’s last training session ahead of the Paris Saint-Germain clash. The 61-year-old walked over to the coaching staff and embraced them. The move could be seen as another sign of Laporta trying to gain back Xavi’s confidence to try and make him stay at the club, or on the other hand, as an embrace to thank his coaching staff for their efforts ahead of the massive clash.

The first option available to the club is to keep Xavi through this summer. His future may be decided in the coming weeks, despite the Spaniard’s denials of any possibility of changing his mind about leaving. The second leg of Barcelona ‘s Champions League quarterfinal matchup with Paris Saint-Germain is scheduled for Tuesday, April 16.