La Liga giants Barcelona parted ways with coach Xavi Hernandez on Friday following a trophyless season for the Catalan club.
Xavi is set to lead the team in its final La Liga match against Sevilla on Sunday before his departure.
“Barcelona president Joan Laporta has told Xavi Hernandez he will not continue as coach for the 2024-25 season,” said Barcelona in a statement.
The Barcelona legend announced in January that he would step down after the season but due to pressure from the board and the president, Laporta, he changed his mind in April deciding to run down his contract until 2025.
However, lately he had been reportedly facing dismissal after remarks on Barcelona’s financial situation and a lack of competitiveness in the squad that angered the club’s leadership.
Former Bayern Munich and Germany coach Hansi Flick has emerged again as a top candidate for the Barcelona job, according to Spanish and international news reports.
Flick, 59, was reportedly a candidate from the beginning.
He was lately linked with a return to Bayern and Chelsea but is said to have turned down the English side because Barcelona was his priority.
El Mundo Deportivo reported that Flick has held talks with Barcelona sporting director Deco and that he is their preferred candidate.
Flick became Bayern Munich’s coach in autumn 2019, initially on an interim basis, and led them to an astonishing seven titles, including two Bundesliga titles, the German Cup, the German Super Cup, the Champions League, the European Super Cup, and the Club World Cup.
The run to the Champions League title included an 8-2 victory over Barcelona in the quarter-finals.
He succeeded Joachim Low as Germany’s coach in 2021, but that spell was not successful as Germany was eliminated in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup.
Flick had to leave last autumn after further poor results.
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