…..Al-Sadd reaffirm desire to keep Xavi as Head Coach
Xavi Hernandez has spoken about his potential move to become the new Barcelona head coach and he seems confident a deal will be done between the Blaugrana and his current club Al Sadd.
Speaking after his side’s 3-3 draw with Al Duhail, Xavi confirmed that talks have taken place and it appears it is only a matter of time before his return to Catalonia is confirmed.
“I’m a very positive person, the two clubs are in talks,” Xavi told TV3.
“It’s a question of common sense and in the end it’s got to end up getting done. I’m excited.
“Both clubs know where I stand. I hope the matter can be tied up soon.”
So confident is the former midfielder that the clubs will reach an agreement – after his agents have all but agreed terms with Barcelona representatives – that he is already looking forward to taking over the reins at the Camp Nou.
“It’s not about being the Messiah, it’s about bringing the excitement back,” said Xavi.
“There’s a good team and we have to work hard and stop worrying about ‘isms’. We need to all be pulling in the same direction.
“We’re all looking forward to it and very excited.”
Al-Sadd want to keep Xavi
A delegation from Catalonia, on Wednesday, travelled to Doha to finalize the signing of Xavi Hernandez as the new coach of FC Barcelona.
The former midfielder has been the only real option since the dismissal of Ronald Koeman. Though some other names have been linked to the job too in recent times, Xavi has been the straight option on this occasion.
The Al Sadd coach has made his desire to coach Barcelona well known. The legendary midfielder is seen as the one to bring a new direction to the club in this time of transition.
Xavi has worked with Al Sadd for the past few years and has been their manager ever since he quit professional football.
The club’s sources say that the first contacts between Barcelona and Al Sadd were very positive and that the signing would be completed without any complications, as relayed by Gerard Romero.
Moreover, the Blaugranas were said to have negotiated a deal that would see them not pay any fee. A friendly match seemed set to be scheduled instead.
Yet, Al Sadd’s CEO Turk Al-Ali has come out today to derail Barcelona’s pursuit of Xavi. He announced that the Qatar-based club had no intention of parting ways with their manager.
“We welcome the visit of the administrative delegation from Barcelona, and we appreciate and respect this.
“The club’s position is clear from the beginning – we are committed to keeping our coach Xavi with us and we cannot have him leave at this sensitive time of the season.”
This news is anticlimactic to Barcelona’s pursuit of their former player. A possible reason for such a statement from the Asian club could be that Al Sadd’s representatives wanted Joan Laporta to travel to Qatar to personally oversee the deal.
However, the President opted not to travel and sent a team of Rafael Yuste and Oscar Grau instead.
Despite the announcement, Barcelona is still positive that a deal will be finalised in the coming days.
