Hansi Flick could soon become Barcelona‘s next manager. The move, however, is dependent on Xavi’s future with the Spanish side. Xavi was previously expected to depart the Catalan club at the end of the current campaign. After a string of disappointing results, the coach announced back in January that he would be stepping down from the role.
The former midfielder, however, then changed his mind in April and opted to remain with the team. Xavi essentially made the reversal after being persuaded to stay by Barca president Joan Laporta. The executive was impressed by the team’s previous unbeaten run with Xavi at the helm. Barca also qualified for the Champions League quarterfinal during this timeframe as well.
Nevertheless, Xavi’s future with Barca is now once again up in the air. While the coach remains committed to the club, the team’s brass is reportedly considering making a managerial change. The former star is currently under contract with the Spanish side until the summer of 2025.
According to reports, Flick is emerging as the number one candidate to potentially replace Xavi. Rumors recently surfaced that Barca’s sporting director Deco and football coordinator Bojan made a trip to London earlier in the week. The duo traveled to England to meet with Flick and his agent. While the summit has not yet been officially confirmed, several outlets claim that Barca brass has at the very least contacted Flick.
The German coach previously found immense success with Bayern Munich. Although Flick only took charge of the Bavarian side for 19 months, he lifted some major silverware in his home country. Bayern won the treble in his first season at the helm. Flick collected the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and Champions League titles in the 2019/20 campaign. He then followed up the success with another German top-flight championship a year later.
One of Flick’s key players at Bayern was Robert Lewandowski. The center forward had two of the most prolific seasons of his career in the coach’s short time with the club. Lewandowski netted 103 total goals in these two campaigns, the most he has ever scored in a two-season stretch.
Barcelona brass could very well be looking to reunite Hansi Flick and Lewandowski to help resurrect the striker’s career. The Poland international has only managed to score 25 total goals during the current campaign. While not necessarily a bad statistic, it is his lowest tally in a season since 2014/15. Lewandowski recently poured cold water on rumors that he will leave the Catalan club due to the underwhelming scoring figures.
Any decision regarding a managerial change at Barca will reportedly not happen until next week. Laporta and Xavi are scheduled to meet in a few days to discuss the situation. The club will finish out their 2023/24 campaign with a matchup against Sevilla on Sunday.
If the current coach departs, it certainly seems as if Flick could enter the fray. Nevertheless, Barca B manager Rafael Marquez is also in contention to potentially replace Xavi as well.
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