Xavi ‘rejects’ chance to take over Barcelona

Barcelona hero Xavi has reportedly turned down the opportunity to take charge of the Catalan club immediately – but he could yet do so at the end of the season.

The 39-year-old, who made 767 appearances in 17 seasons at Barca, is currently in charge of Qatari side Al Sadd- his first job in management.

Recent reports suggested he had met Barcelona’s general director Oscar Grau and his former teammate and now technical secretary Eric Abidal, and it was rumoured he would be taking over imminently.

According to Goal , however, Xavi has refused to do so until the end of the season due to his respect for Valverde.

He could not deny his attraction towards the job when asked by reporters recently, saying: “I cannot hide it, that is my dream. It is my dream to coach Barcelona , I have said it many times in many interviews.

“Everybody knows that I support Barcelona from the bottom of my heart, so yes, it’s one of my dreams but I’m focussed on Al Sadd.”

Despite winning two La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey and a Supercopa since taking over at Barcelona in 2017, Valverde has come under increasing pressure recently, and following their 3-2 loss to Atletico Madrid in the Supercopa final on Thursday he looked set for the sack.

It looks as though he will live to fight another day, though, and will almost certainly be in charge for Barcelona’s game against Granada next Sunday.

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If Xavi does eventually take over he will be the latest in a long list of former Barcelona player to move from a playing role to the hotseat.

Former legends such as Luis Enrique, Pep Guardiola, Frank Rijkaard and Johan Cruyff all had spells as manager at one point, and Xavi would no doubt be a hugely popular choice with supporters of the club.