Barcelona have signed a contract with Hansi Flick for the German to be their coach for the next two years. Vice-President Rafa Yuste had confirmed on Tuesday that the official announcement would come on Wednesday, and they confirmed as much around lunchtime.
The delay in the official announcement was due to the fact that Barcelona want to ensure that they have severed ties with Xavi Hernandez definitively before making any announcements. It was reported yesterday that Xavi would waive the €11-12m due to him for the final year of his deal, but would reclaim the €2.5m he paid out of his own pocket to sign for the club from Al-Sadd. His staff would retain their fees in their redundancy package.
According to Diario AS, Flick’s appointment is regarded as all or nothing for Laporta, with those around him acknowledging that if it goes badly, then Laporta will likely be forced out of the club in the 2026 election. If it goes well, then he will seek to run for a fourth term. Simultaneously, Sporting Director Deco is fighting for his future – if things go badly this summer, then he could also be on his way out.
Certainly Laporta is being questioned as much as ever, even when he was forced out of the club in 2010. His U-turn on Xavi’s future has made a mockery of Barcelona, and fans are starting to voice their displeasure at the lack of leadership. All of that will shrink into the distance with a good start for Flick though.