Xavi wanted to get rid of 4 Barcelona stars, including Lewandowski, if he continued as head coach: Reports
Outgoing Barcelona boss Xavier Hernandez reportedly wanted to jettison striker Robert Lewandowski and three other top players had he remained at the helm for next season. The Spaniard faced the sack last week.
Xavi ended his Camp Nou tenure with four straight wins, including a 2-1 La Liga victory on the final day of the season at Sevilla on Sunday (May 26). Lewandowski opened the scoring inside 15 minutes before Youssef En-Nesyri levelled proceedings.
The visitors, though, had the last laugh, as Fermin Lopez struck the winner shortly before the hour mark as the Xavi era at the Camp Nou drew to a close.
It has now emerged that the outgoing Barca boss - who had previously made an U-turn on his desire to leave this summer - wanted to get rid of four players had he stayed on. As reported by ESPN (via Barca Universal), he wanted the quartet of Lewandowski, Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix (both on loan) and winter arrival Vitor Roque out of the club.
Xavi's side finished second in La Liga, 10 points behind champions Real Madrid, but ended the season trophyless.
How did the aforementioned Barcelona quartet perform this season under Xavi?
Among the aforementioned quartet that Barcelona's outgoing boss reportedly wanted to sell off, Robert Lewandowski had a rather quiet season by his usual prolific standards.
The former Bayern Munich hitman ended the season with 26 goals and nine assists in 49 games across competitions, including 19 goals and eight assists in 35 La Liga outings.
Coming to Joao Cancelo, the on-loan full-back from Manchester City, the 30-year-old had four goals and five assists in 42 games across competitions. His on-loan compatriot from Atletico Madrid, Joao Felix had 10 goals and six assists in 44 games across competitions.
Both Portuguese players are expected to head back to their parent clubs on the expiry of their loan deal.
Finally, Vitor Roque - who arrived in January - scored twice in 16 games across competitions, starting just twice. Both goals came in the league, in successive games against Osasuna and Alaves, with Barcelona winning both matches.