Before Saturday Xavi Hernández has to be announced as coach of FC Barcelona. This is the challenge faced by both the coach and the club, based on the steps that are being followed in Doha. While is true that the absence of Joan Laporta is hindering the operationThe truth is that both Xavi and Barcelona are more than optimistic.
So much so that from Xavi’s environment they assure us that they do not believe that it could take more than one or two days, taking into account that the deadline set to announce the signing of the legendary Blaugrana player would be on Saturday.
The FC Barcelona delegation, made up of the vice president Rafa Yuste and the director of football, Mateu Alemany, met this Wednesday night, after the game against Al Sadd, with a delegation from Al Sadd. Neither Xavi nor the sheikh participated in it. In fact, AS has learned, It was a meeting where in no case was anything going to be decided, since the last word is the owner of the club. The objective of this summit, held in a luxurious hotel in Doha, was simply to convey to the emissaries of the Qatari club the content of Barcelona’s proposal for Al Sadd to release Xavi.
In any case, The agreement between Barça and Xavi is now fully closed, with a contract until June 30, 2024 and a salary much lower than that charged in Doha, but with many variables along the way.
The last stumbling block is Sheikh Mohammed bin Al Thani, which this morning will learn about the Blaugrana proposal through its emissaries. Everything indicates that he will finally give up and release the coach, because he also gave Xavi his word that he would let him go in the event that the Blaugrana club came, but in any case the absence of Laporta is considered a lack of respect and tact in the Qatari club. And it is that we must not forget that the sheikh has to forgive 5 million euros and the truth is that with the absence of Laporta, the road to condonation is more winding. In Barcelona, the possibility of go to Doha to play a friendly or until Al Sadd participates in one of the next editions of the Gamper.
In any event, if all goes well, the signing of Xavi by FC Barcelona will possibly be announced tomorrow, with the option of traveling between Saturday or Sunday to Barcelona, to take charge of the team on Monday and be presented that same day.