Will there be a new manager will be in the FC Barcelona dugout next season? Club President Joan Laporta apparently does not believe in Xavi, and showdown talks are set for early next week, after the season concludes this Sunday. It has all been “a saga” to say the least. Xavi is in and then he is out. He’s leaving and then he’s staying, and then…well, it has all been a massive headache.
Back in February, we looked at four potential candidates to replace Xavi (at this link).
FC Barcelona at Sevilla FC FYIs
Kickoff: Fri. Sept. 29, 8pm, Estadi Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, Sevilla, Spain
FC Barcelona Preview Material: Starting XI Prediction Team News
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
LL Position, Form: FC Barcelona 2nd, 82 pts WWWLW Sevilla FC , 13th, 41 pts, LLLWD
Google Result Probability: FC Barcelona 52% Draw 24% Sevilla FC 24%
That list didn’t age well! But here we take a look at four more candidates who could likely replace him this summer. This list seems more accurate!
Rafa Marquez
Marquez leads the Barca B team, so he’s choice if Laporta wants to go in house. He seems to be the consensus favorite right now. Given the lack of solid coaching candidates that are available right now, this scenario is appearing even more likely.
Hansi Flick
Reports in Spain claim that sporting director Deco and football coordinator Bojan went to London to meet with Flick and his agent. So the former Bayern boss has to be considered one of the top candidates at this point.
Michel
Michel is led Girona to a very surprising season, staying in the mix for a La Liga title until midseason. He’s a hot commodity right now to be sure. But he is a fluke/one year wonder? Does he really have the CV for this kind of job? A bigger question, is Barca in a place right now where they can be very choosy though?
Jurgen Klopp
The dream hire and best case scenario, Klopp has been strongly linked with this job. However, the German made it clear that he wants to go on sabbatical for a bit, at least one season, so the timing doesn’t make sense. Thomas Tuchel and Roberto de Zerbi have also been linked, but both seem like kind of a stretch at this point.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.