Barcelona Sporting Director has said that he does not know exactly who they will go for to replace Xavi Hernandez in the summer, claiming that they are still assimilating the loss of his former teammate. However he did know enough to rule out several options.
During an interview with Onze, Deco was understandably peppered with questions about who should be the next manager. He insisted that they were not yet speaking to anyone about it. He also called Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola the best manager on the planet, but did not respond to whether he was a candidate, while he did similar with Barcelona Femeni manager Jonatan Giraldez, who is moving to the USA at the end of the season.
Perhaps the most high-profile manager available is a former Barcelona assistant, and a man under whom Deco won the Champions League. But he was curt about the prospect of his compatriot Jose Mourinho taking over.
“Mourinho is a friend but I haven’t spoken to him in a while.”
Things the next #FCBarcelona manager must be have/be able to do, according to Deco:
– Adapt to the financial situation of the club
– Bring through the youngsters
– Optimise resources
– Be able to coach a team that 'has the ball'(Onze) pic.twitter.com/l4BZlnkdPY
— Football España (@footballespana_) February 8, 2024
Meanwhile Barca Atletic manager and former teammate Rafael Marquez has also been linked to the position, posited as the easy and cheap option. Deco claimed he would only be turned to in an emergency though.
“Rafa is doing his job and is growing as a coach, in the reserve team, it is a fantastic experience because he is suffering difficulties, he loses players to the first team, injuries, national teams, as a young coach it is spectacular for your growth. He is a young coach and we hope that he will stay for a long time. Rafa is valued within the club and right now he is not being considered. As an emergency, yes, but the decision for the future must be made with more analysis.”
Meanwhile he doubled down on comments that he had not seen many Bologna games, more or less shutting down the idea that they would appoint overperforming Thiago Motta, who is also a former colleague of Deco’s.
“I haven’t seen many Bologna games, with so much traveling I don’t have time to see them all, we usually watch the big teams. It’s true that they are doing a good job but there is nothing in it, and I haven’t spoken to Motta in many years.”
