Xavi wants to return to Barcelona, but not looking to oust Koeman

‘Everyone sees me as a Barcelona coach’: Xavi admits he wants to return to the Nou Camp, but club legend insists he is not looking to oust under-pressure Ronald Koeman

  • Barca legend Xavi has reiterated his desire to return to the Nou Camp to manage
  • However, the 41-year-old insists he is not looking to overthrow Ronald Koeman
  • Koeman is under fire again after losing  4-1 to PSG in the Champions League
  • Xavi is now waiting for the presidential elections to take place before deciding   

Barcelona legend Xavi has reiterated his desire to return to the Nou Camp and manage his former club, but insists he is not looking to overthrow Ronald Koeman.

Xavi, who is currently in charge of Qatari side Al Sadd, was asked to take over from Ernesto Valverde as the Barcelona manager last year but turned the opportunity down because ‘the timing wasn’t right’.

The 41-year-old has now been linked with a takeover from Koeman – who has come under fire once again after his side lost 4-1 to Paris Saint-Germain in the last-16 of the Champions League.  

Barcelona legend Xavi has reiterated his desire to return to the Nou Camp and manage Barca

Koeman’s role at Barcelona has been thrown further into doubt with the upcoming presidential elections.  

As a result, Xavi has been named as the frontrunner to replace the Dutch manager, should he be ousted. 

Speaking of the rumours, the World Cup winner – who spent 17 years at Barca – told FIFA’s official website: ‘Right now, I’m at Al Sadd and I’m doing well here. I’m at a big club in Asia, in Qatar. It’s the best team in Qatar.

However, the 41-year-old insists he is not looking to overthrow current boss Ronald Koeman 

Xavi played a total of 767 games for the LaLiga giants and now manages Al Sadd in Qatar

‘We’ll see what happens in the future. Everyone sees me as a Barcelona coach, and I really respect Barcelona and Koeman, the current head coach.

‘I don’t want to hide the truth – of course I would like to be Barcelona’s head coach. I’ve said it many times.

‘But I will always respect the presiding coach and the club. I wish them the best, of course. I’ve been a Barcelona fan as long as I can remember.

‘There’s an upcoming presidential election, so let’s see which candidate wins in roughly a month’s time.’   

Xavi played 767 games in total for Barcelona and had been linked with a return to the club last year.

Barcelona approached Xavi to take over from Ernesto Valverde but turned to Quique Setien (L)

Xavi insisted he would only return to the Nou Camp if he is handed full control over decisions

However, the 41-year-old rejected a two-and-a-half-year contract, and admitted he had turned down his boyhood team due to his relative inexperience with coaching at the highest level.

Xavi is now waiting for the upcoming presidential election to take place before he makes any decisions in regards to his future at Barcelona.  

Presidential candidate Victor Font has said he will make it his priority to ‘bring a club legend home’ if he is elected to take control on March 7. 

But, Xavi has previously insisted he would only return to the club if he is handed full control over crucial decisions.   




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