Barcelona look set to continue their relationship with Manager Xavi Hernandez, with President Joan Laporta singing his praises publicly, despite his initial doubts about him.
Laporta distanced himself from Xavi during his election campaign, declaring that the then Al Sadd manager was too green for the role. Eight months later, he would be appointed in place of the beleaguered Ronald Koeman.
Since he has backed Xavi both in the market and in the press. Following their La Liga victory, Barcelona started work on a contract renewal for Xavi and his staff. Recent reports have said it was done, but MD claim that there is one detail holding matters up.
🚨 Xavi's renewal is agreed and although everything looked like he would return until 2026, the option of renewing until 2025 is not ruled out as it could help with FFP. @ffpolo, @martinezferran pic.twitter.com/1xGpCcU6He
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) September 7, 2023
It had been assumed that Xavi would renew until 2026, taking him through to the end of Laporta’s mandate as president, but now it is more likely he will extend his current deal by just a year until 2025. Part of that is to do with the financial aspect, with their salary limit coming into play.
The Blaugrana have been hard up against their salary limit for some time, but a longer contract would mean a greater economic hit for Barcelona, thus they may decide to shorten the deal.
Regardless of the reason, it will weaken Xavi’s position as manager – the finances for sacking him would be much more affordable if the deal is until 2025. Meanwhile Sporting Director Deco has arrived with complete authority according to some reports, whereas previously Xavi is thought to have held plenty of weight when it came to making decisions. Deco’s presence is likely to dilute the power he has.
