Because the summer time will deliver many managerial openings, Xabi Alonso staying at Bayer Leverkusen has turned issues the other way up. A needed title for each Liverpool and Bayern Munich’s openings on the finish of the season, Alonso staying put will change the targets all over the world together with at Barcelona the place Xavi Hernandez introduced intentions to step down on the finish of the season earlier this marketing campaign. Since making that call, Xavi has led Barcelona into the final eight of the Champions League the place they will face PSG whereas additionally bettering the type of younger gamers on the membership.
In response to The Athletic, this has led to Barcelona seeing if they will persuade Xavi to remain longer than the tip of this season. Lower than a 12 months faraway from profitable the La Liga title, there are honest the explanation why Barcelona want to maintain him in cost as an alternative of coping with an unknown supervisor however that is one thing that displays extra on the dearth of luster within the Barcelona job as of late.
Not solely are there monetary points that will forestall Barcelona from bringing in a supervisor like Roberto De Zerbi of Brighton however there are additionally deeper points on the membership. Not with the ability to spend as a lot as they want to enhance the squad won’t make them title contenders within the close to future, not to mention in a position to compete throughout a number of fronts to a excessive stage. Prime managers want assets to form the staff of their picture and win trophies and the rebuild of Barcelona is a multi-season dedication that’s match for a supervisor seeking to construct their model. Barca’s debt went from $30 million in 2018 to just about 1 / 4 of a billion {dollars} in 2023 due to write-offs associated to dangerous contracts, tax disputes, authorized charges, owing large switch price funds, again tax and extra, based on The Athletic. It has pressured them to get inventive, unload belongings, go after free brokers and extra in an try to stay aggressive.Â
The difficulty is that if locations like Brighton, Sporting Membership Portugal and elsewhere open, these are the locations the place second and third-tier managers that Barcelona would search for on this bracket will even look to and solely historical past would make Barcelona a extra interesting vacation spot than different locations which can be constructed to win now. Thiago Motta of Bologna is among the few managers who would match the invoice because of being a former Barcelona midfielder himself but when a extra interesting job opens in Italy, like Juventus, it might make sense for him to take that as he has expertise teaching in Serie A, serving to Bologna push for Champions League spots.Â
Gone for now are the times when Barcelona might go in and pluck Mikel Arteta from Arsenal as he would probably be the dream appointment in the intervening time. Due to the encompassing circumstances, it is smart why it is value seeing what occurs with Xavi, particularly if the choices on the market aren’t all that interesting.
Probably not being able to pay golf equipment compensation for managers who’re at present beneath contract relying on their monetary circumstances this summer time, Barcelona might want to get inventive, and whereas doing so, one possibility is pulling out all of the stops potential to maintain Xavi. On the plus aspect, with a staff so reliant on younger gamers like 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, consistency cannot be overstated. This is among the the explanation why Barcelona B supervisor Rafa Marquez is probably going within the working for the job if it opens however with out prime flight managerial expertise, it might be fairly a danger to take.
Barcelona will qualify for Champions League subsequent season and expectations will probably be to once more make it to the knockout phases whereas competing for the La Liga crown. For an inexperienced supervisor, it might be an opportunity to fall to the strain of these expectations however these are one thing that Xavi has grown to handle throughout his time in control of Barcelona. Maintaining him can be Barcelona admitting that the membership is not what it as soon as was however doing that is step one to constructing Barcelona again to what it ought to be.