Barcelona president Joan Laporta has finally addressed the decision to dismiss Xavi Hernandez as the club’s manager.
Xavi was relieved of his duties at the end of the current season, months after Laporta persuaded him to withdraw his resignation. The Barcelona board, led by Laporta, had urged Xavi to stay on, making the subsequent dismissal surprising to many. Laporta has now provided clarity on the situation.
In an episode of *The Presidential Podcast* on BarçaOne, Laporta elaborated on the reasons for sacking Xavi and appointing Hansi Flick as his replacement. He confirmed that Xavi’s public comments about the club’s financial struggles and their impact on competitiveness played a significant role in the decision. Despite initially expressing confidence in the team, Xavi’s statements in a press conference prompted a reassessment by Laporta and the board.
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“Xavi told me that he trusted this team, but then some of his statements seemed to contradict that,” Laporta explained. “It caused me to rethink, and I felt a change was necessary, a sentiment shared by the board.”
Regarding Flick’s appointment, Laporta said, “I started considering Flick as Barça’s manager since I rejoined the club. He began analyzing the team right after Xavi announced his decision. All our reports on Flick were extremely positive. Both Deco and Bojan shared the belief that Flick was the right choice.”
In other news, Barcelona has been informed of the fee required to sign Joao Cancelo from Manchester City.