Xavi’s departure leaves Barcelona in search of a new coach, and president Joan Laporta is reportedly willing to make a bold move: bringing back Pep Guardiola.
Xavi announced his resignation on Sunday, just hours after Barcelona’s 3-5 loss to Villarreal. He said he believes the club needs a change of direction, and that he can’t allow the current situation to continue.
Since then, the Spanish media has been abuzz with speculation about who will replace Xavi. Some of the names that have been mentioned include Thiago Motta, Roberto De Zerbi, Luis Enrique, Rafa Marquez, Thomas Tuchel, Hansi Flick, Mikel Arteta, and even recently resigned Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp.
However, according to El Chiringuito, Laporta’s top target is Guardiola. The two men worked together at Barcelona from 2008 to 2012, when they won three La Liga titles, two Champions League titles, and two Copa del Rey titles.
READ MORE: Xavi to leave Barça, De Zerbi favorite to replace him
Of course, bringing Guardiola back to Barcelona would be a major coup. However, it would also be a very difficult task. Guardiola is currently the manager of Manchester City, which is a much more successful team than Barcelona. City also has much more financial resources than Barcelona, which is currently struggling financially.
In addition, Guardiola is under contract with City until 2025 and earns a salary of over €20 million per year.
Despite the challenges, El Chiringuito reports that Laporta is planning to call Guardiola in the coming days. He will reportedly ask Guardiola for a favor and try to appeal to his Catalan roots in an effort to convince him to come back and save his beloved club.
🚨 “El CANDIDATO NÚMERO 1 de LAPORTA es GUARDIOLA”.
🙏 “Le va a LLAMAR y le va a pedir como FAVOR que VUELVA”.
EXCLUSIVA de @jotajordi13 en #ChiringuitoXavi. pic.twitter.com/P7dJwDPxQs
— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) January 30, 2024
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