Laporta to Xavi: “If I have to act emotionally, I want you to continue, but..” | OneFootball

It has been an exteremely eventful month at Barcelona. And even saying that feels like an understatement.

Xavi announced his decision to leave the club at the end of the season late in January, after which the board spent months trying to convince him to continue, at least for another season.

And once the coach agreed to continue, Barcelona decided it would be best to let him go after he made some statements regarding the club’s financial situation and how expecting too much, especially in context of their rivalry vs Real Madrid would be unhealthy.

The official announcement about his sacking came today morning, and with it, came other rumours about his dismissal, including a meeting he had with president Joan Laporta last week.

Brain vs heart

As reported by MARCA, Joan Laporta was admitted in the hospital last week due to pneumonia. Xavi went to pay him a visit at the hospital, during which the two spoke about the coach’s future.

Apparently, Laporta was conflicted between going with his brain or going with his heart, and told Xavi, “If I have to act emotionally, I would like to continue as a coach; but if I do this logically, the best thing is for you to don’t continue.”

In essence, Laporta wanted to communicate to Xavi that it was in the best interest of the team and the institution that he leaves Barcelona despite the two reaching final confirmation not too long ago about his continuity.

Where do Barcelona go from here?

It seems Barcelona have already found a replacement for Xavi in the form of a man who hammered them 8-2 not too long ago in the Champions League. The coach in question is, of course, Hansi Flick.

The German was sacked from the Germany National Team a couple of years ago, and is currently out of a job.

He has reached an agreement with Barcelona about the gig and is set to take over as the manager at the start of next season.