Barcelona Xavi Confirms Meeting With Club Officials Over Coaching Job

Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez has confirmed he met with officials of the
Catalan club amid reports he could be set to take over from under-pressure
coach Ernesto Valverde.
Xavi has been linked with a return to Barcelona since they were beaten 3-2 by
Atletico Madrid in the semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup on Thursday.
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The loss, which came after a surprise 2-2 league draw at struggling Espanyol,
has heaped pressure on Valverde with AS reporting Xavi has been offered a
contract to take over from the former Atheltic Bilbao boss.
Xavi confirmed media reports that he had spoken to Barcelona’s sporting
director and former teammate Eric Abidal and chief executive Oscar Grau over
the weekend.
Athough he did not give details of the meeting, he acknowledged that he would
love to take charge of his former side one day.
“I cannot say anything, they were here to talk to me and we discussed many
things. Sorry I cannot give any more information,” Xavi told a news conference
after his side beat Al Rayyan on Saturday to reach the final of the Prince’s
Cup.
“I cannot hide it’s my dream to coach Barcelona, I’ve said it many times in
many interviews, everyone knows I support Barcelona from the bottom of my
heart.
“But I’m doing my job here, I’m doing my best. I was focused on the semi-final
and now I’m focusing on the final.”
Before the semi-final against Al Rayyan, Al Sadd’s sporting director Muhammad
Ghulam Al Balushi confirmed Xavi had been negotiating a move to Barcelona.
“There are negotiations between Xavi and Barcelona now and we wish him
success wherever he decides to go,” he told Qatari network Al Kass.
During his time at Barcelona, Xavi won the LaLiga, Copa del Rey and Spanish
Super Cup.
He also won the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club
World Cup.
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