Barcelona had made progress towards replacing Xavi with Serie A manager before U-turn | OneFootball

The past 24 hours brought in a lot of confusion and drama at FC Barcelona with regard to their managerial situation.

Xavi, who had decided to leave at the end of the season, was said to be open to continuing, only for reports to emerge that the 44-year-old would after all end up leaving.

However, there were a couple of meetings that took place, first between Xavi and Deco at the club facilities and then between Xavi and Joan Laporta, with Deco, Rafa Yuste, and Alejandro Echevarria present, at the club president’s residence.

In the end, it was agreed that Xavi would continue as manager for another season and see out his contract, which expires in 2025.

Thiago Motta was lined up as a replacement

Now, SPORT has come forward with an update regarding all the frantic activity of Wednesday evening, stating that Barcelona were making progress in hiring a new manager if Xavi were to leave.

Indeed, as per the report, the Blaugrana were already making headway in the recruitment of a new coach and Thiago Motta had gained a lot of ground in the last few hours.

Thiago Motta could have replaced Xavi at Barcelona. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

The sporting director was meeting with Xavi and at the same time was working on a possible replacement. In fact, on Wednesday morning and until early afternoon it was virtually certain that the current coach would not continue.

Rafa Marquez, currently the manager of Barça Atletic, was seen as a candidate to replace Xavi, but did not generate total consensus. And, that is where Thiago Motta entered the scene.

In the last few days, the option of Motta gained ground despite the fact that he had been ruled out at first. The fact that Juventus made a move to sign him also played a role.

Motta’s work at Bologna is highly valued at Barcelona and he is seen as a coach with good experience and a clear propensity for growth.

As such, there could have been more, until Laporta decided on Xavi’s continuity.