5 potential replacements for Ronald Koeman at Barcelona

Xavi Hernandez

Xavi Hernandez has arguably been the most talked about person throughout the Barcelona manager replacement saga. This is because the Spanish legend was considered by Josep Bartomeu to replace Quique Setien before he chose to appoint Koeman. The reasoning as to why he chose Koeman over the more dynamic and visionary player was never explained; however, Xavi becoming the coach of Barcelona was always on the table. Even Lionel Messi himself stated that he wanted Xavi to become the coach of Barca as he learnt a lot from Pep and incorporated the same style as Guardiola.

When Laporta first announced that he would be running for the presidency last year, the two main points he made was that he would keep Messi at all cost and he would get Xavi as the manager. While he tried his best to keep the Argentine legend at the club, new rules implemented by La Liga forced Messi to leave. On the other hand, instead of getting rid of Koeman, Laporta became even more supportive of Komen’s work and philosophy. When asked about Xavi becoming the manager of Barcelona, Laporta said that Xavi will definitely coach the Catalan side one day but that day will come after his former teammates retire from the club.

Now that Koeman has started to show his flaws and the team is struggling without Messi, Laporta might be looking to bring in Xavi to save the day. Although the former Barcelona legend has not managed any European teams as of now, he has a wonderful managerial record with Al-Sadd. His style of play is very reminiscent of Guardiola’s style; however, Laporta is right. Xavi should not be forced into a position where Barca are not performing and do not have the money to buy new players. It would not be right to give such an inexperienced manager such a rough team. However, should Xavi himself wish to manage the team, then he can be given a contract.