Reports coming out of Barcelona suggest that the Catalan giants are eyeing Brighton and Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi as Xavi Hernandez’s replacement.
Xavi joined Barcelona in late 2021 and won the club’s first league title in four seasons. He also won the Spanish Super Cup. He did this in a period of financial and organisational turmoil at the club, brought about by the immediate past administration led by Josep Maria Bartomeu.
However, his 2023/24 season has not gone to plan. Several failures and four straight El Clasico losses have made a large section of the club’s fans hit out at the former midfielder, who once captained the club in his playing days.
He has lost a portion of the fan base and, according to reports, a portion of the club’s members. This led to his decision to leave the club per his announcement after his club’s last match which they lost 5 – 3 at home.
While the media speculates and the fans argue over his legacy as a manager, club president Joan Laporta and his fellow decision-makers are busy mulling over his replacement.
Among all the names that have been suggested to the club per media reports, Brighton’s De Zerbi stands out.
The Italian is in his second season with the Seagulls – his first full one – and has been able to improve upon the football that Graham Potter introduced to the club. The 44-year-old trainer is also currently responsible for Ansu Fati, the wonder kid who is considered to be Lionel Messi’s heir at Barcelona.
Under De Zerbi, Fati has found his rhythm after limited game time and juggling injury concerns ruined his flow at Barcelona. The 20-year-old is expected back at the club next season to continue his career and now, it looks like De Zerbi will be coming with him.
This depends on Brighton’s decision to part ways with the man who led them to their first-ever European competition after taking over as manager in September 2022. They are currently seventh in the Premier League and preparing for the knockouts of the UEFA Europa League which starts in February.
De Zerbi is also been touted for the Liverpool and Manchester City jobs.
Liverpool will have a vacant manager position in the summer as well after Jürgen Klopp also announced his decision to end his nine-year affiliation with the Reds. City, on the other hand, are still confident of Pep Guardiola remaining until 2025 when his contract runs out. However, the Spaniard has given a hint that he will not continue after that time. He also went further to annoint De Zerbi as his successor at some point in the 2022/23 season and reports claim that City have been in contact with the Italian since then.
Xavi, meanwhile, has a league to navigate and a UEFA Champions League knockout round to conquer. Barcelona are 11 points behind league leaders Girona and will face 2022/23 Scudetto champions Napoli in the Champions League come February.
