Barcelona rumour confirmed as TRUE amid Xavi replacement hunt

Cameron Smith

• 5 Feb 2024 13:19 GMT
• 3 min read

Barcelona are edging closer to finding their next head coach as Xavi’s tenure in the dugout draws closer to its end.

The Blaugrana legend has announced that he will leave his post in charge at the end of the 2023-24 season after a difficult run of results has left a title challenge almost out of the question.

Barca are eight points behind league leaders Real Madrid and while a comeback is possible, Carlo Ancelotti’s side have looked far more convincing this season, with Jude Bellingham at the heart of their form.

As a result, Xavi has decided to leave his role as head coach once the current campaign concludes, and Barcelona must now find a suitable replacement.

One name that has been touted around is Hansi Flick, who has been out of work since being sacked by Germany following a disappointing 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The former Bayern Munich boss has also been linked with Chelsea, amid Mauricio Pochettino’s struggles at Stamford Bridge, but a move to Camp Nou seems more likely at this stage.

Hansi Flick to Barcelona?

Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg has now confirmed rumours that Flick is under consideration by the Barca board.

He posted on X: “TRUE. Hansi Flick is already learning Spanish. The former Coach of the German National team is looking for a new challenge in the summer and the job at FC Barcelona would appeal to him.”

Flick enjoyed a fantastic spell at Bayern Munich before being replaced by Julian Nagelsmann at the Allianz Arena, enjoying an incredible 81% win percentage during his time in charge.

The 58-year-old won 70 of his 86 matches as Bayern’s head coach, while he helped them to 23 consecutive wins in 2020, a record for a German team. Furthermore, Pep Guardiola is the only Bayern manager with a better points-per-game ratio in the Bundesliga than Flick (2.52 to 2.45).