"We needed a new impetus and we opted for a valuable, responsible coach" - Barcelona president reveals main reason for Xavi sacking
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has defended the club's decision to sack Xavi as manager, saying that the club needed a "new impetus". Xavi had announced in January that he would step down as the coach at the end of the season. However, he later reversed his decision and announced that he will honour his contract that would keep him at Spotify Camp Nou until 2025.
The situation turned again for Xavi after Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League by PSG, despite taking a 3-2 lead in the first-leg of the quarter-finals. La Blaugrana were hammered 4-1 at home in the second leg, guided by now-Real Madrid player Kylian Mbappe's brace.
Furthermore, the Catalans also failed in their La Liga title defense, losing the crown to arch-rivals Real Madrid. In May, Barca decided to sack Xavi and later replaced him with former Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick.
Defending the club's decision to part ways with the legendary midfielder, Laporta said (via Mundo Deportivo):
"I would like to say thanks to Xavi. He took the team at a very difficult time, won a historic league and a Super Cup and has left behind a series of young players who will win many trophies in the future."
"We made a decision because we needed a new impetus and we opted for a valuable, responsible coach."
Laporta also discussed Barca's financial status and explained that the club would end the year with "positive operating results" for the first time since 2017. He added:
"This financial year will close with positive operating results for the first time since 2017. The club should have been saved three years ago, in 2021, not now."
"Economically we are recovering the club, in the shortest possible time, without putting the future of the club at risk and without putting the ownership model at risk. As long as I have the honour of presiding over the club, Barça will belong to its members."
2 former Chelsea players set to leave Barcelona
Several members of the Barcelona squad are set to leave the club this summer, including two former Chelsea players, Andreas Christensen and Marcos Alonso.
The latter has been linked with a move to Atletico Madrid, with reports stating that a deal is extremely close. The full-back's form saw a resurgence under former Blues gaffer Thomas Tuchel and he helped the club win the Champions League in 2021.
Alonso joined Barcelona in 2022 as a free agent and now seems set for another challenge. His contract with La Blaugrana is set to expire this summer.
Christensen also joined Barca as a free agent in 2022 and has been a more regular member of the club's playing XI, making 42 appearances in the 2023-24 season.