Xavi Hernandez sacking could cost Barcelona €20m – will impact on search for successor | OneFootball

Barcelona are widely reported to be sacking manager Xavi Hernandez at the end of the season, marking a third U-turn on the coach’s future this season. It could be a costly operation.

Xavi had publicly stated that he would ‘never be a problem for the club’ in that sense, implying that if he were to walk away at the end of the campaign, then he would do so without requiring a pay off. However with Barcelona President Joan Laporta very clearly betraying the trust that Xavi thought he had – he said ‘I can 100% confirm that I will be the Barcelona manager next season’ – it is not hard to imagine Xavi changing his mind on such a charitable atittude.

Having been embarrassed by the club, Marca say that Xavi will be due €15m if he is dismissed this summer, and his staff a further €5m. A shortlist of three managers has been reported to replace Xavi, but if they do have to pay off Xavi and his staff, then it could influence his successor. With little money to spare as it is, Hansi Flick would be beyond their means, and Rafael Marquez would have even more of an advantage over the German in his bid to become the Barcelona boss. This information has been contradicted by Relevo, who say that the actual package would be closer to €12m in total.

This situation could of course been avoided had Laporta just accepted Xavi’s decision to walk away, and he may still do so without remuneration. However the way things have played out opens the door to another tricky scenario. It may well be that Marquez would’ve been the preferred option at any rate, but it could be a costly course of action.