Barcelona Manager Xavi Decides To Remain At Club Next Year
Barcelona manager Xavi made a shocking decision on Thursday when it was announced that he had decided to remain with the club instead of leaving at the end of the season. He will now remain with Barcelona through the end of his contract, which expires in 2025.
The former Barcelona midfielder announced in January that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season after a string of bad results, including a 4-1 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercup Final, a 4-2 loss to Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey, and a 5-3 dismantling in the league against Villareal. This run of bad form also had a mental toll on Xavi, and he decided that it would be best for both he and the club if he left at the end of the season.
However, after meeting with Barcelona president Joan Laporta on Wednesday, Xavi has reversed his initial decision and will now stay on as the club’s manager.
“We had a meeting with the coach and the president in which Xavi showed us his commitment,” Barcelona vice president Rafa Yuste said. “He is a Barca guy, he is the coach who can lead our project and our young players from the club. I am convinced that he will do a great job, I am very happy for him because he is a great ‘culé.’
“I am happy [with Xavi staying] because I always defended the continuity of the project he started two-and-a-half years ago. We have not talked about changes in our team at all. Xavi has shown his enthusiasm and we must support him and his staff to continue with this project.”
Following Xavi’s initial decision to leave the club at the end of the season, the tide turned for Xavi’s side. They went 13 games unbeaten in all competitions until falling to PSG in the Champions League quarterfinals, a streak that impressed Laporta and the rest of the Barcelona higher-ups.
In addition to this, Barcelona’s current financial situation makes keeping him a more attractive option instead of spending the money to find a new head coach.
Barcelona is currently in second place in La Liga, 14 points off of their rivals Real Madrid. The club remains hopeful that Xavi will be able to return Barcelona back to the top Spanish football next season, however, just as he did last season.
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