The Catalan, who made a total of 767 appearances for Barcelona during his playing days, is seen as having all of the requirements to take charge at the Camp Nou: he has Barcelona DNA;
The Catalan has three main points to become Barca’s next head coach
Xavi Hernandez has been strongly linked with replacing Ronald Koeman if Barcelona opt to part ways with the Dutch coach. The Catalan, who made a total of 767 appearances for Barcelona during his playing days, is seen as having all of the requirements to take charge at the Camp Nou: he has Barcelona DNA; his style of play is similar to Pep Guardiola’s glory years; he is a legend at the club; he is popular amongst the supporters; he understands the club; he has experience as a coach with Al Sadd; and he has a good relationship with the sporting director, Jordi Cruyff. Yet, three main points need to be clarified if Xavi is to become Barcelona’s next head coach.
Xavi always remained neutral, in public at least
Xavi would not be prepared to begin negotiations with Barcelona all the time that there is a coach currently in place, and even less so because it is Koeman, whom he considers to be an icon at the club. The Catalan coach is undoubtedly watching what is unfolding at the Camp Nou with a sense of sadness, but he would never betray someone like Koeman by entering into talks while there is someone currently in charge. Xavi gets along well with Barcelona president Joan Laporta, and there is mutual respect between the pair. While Xavi was viewed as Victor Font’s candidate during Barcelona’s presidential elections, the 41-year-old never publicly tied himself to Font, nor anyone else. He always remained neutral, in public at least.
If Laporta decides that now is the time for Xavi to take charge of Barcelona, they will have to sit down and talk. Back in January 2020, Xavi turned down an approach from then-president Josep Maria Bartomeu. Still, it is a different situation now, and it seems only a matter of time before he ends up returning to the Camp Nou. But he is in no hurry. Should Xavi be convinced of Barcelona’s project, he would be prepared to take the job immediately, even though the season has already started.