Despite the evidence, Barcelona might have a plan after all. Following a meeting at the house of club president Joan Laporta and eating some Japanese takeaway, first-team boss Xavi officially reversed his decision to leave his beloved Blaugrana at the end of the season. Wednesday’s surprise announcement laid out that the legendary Barca midfielder would remain his post until the expiry of his contract in June 2025.
That’s only 14 months away, so Xavi’s decision begs the question: what then? There’s an option for his deal to be extended for a further year until 2026, but three more names closely associated to FC Barcelona are also out of contract next summer and been linked with returns: Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique and Mikel Arteta.
There’s a long-standing belief that Guardiola will one day return to Barca for a second stint as manager and the same goes for Enrique, whose Paris Saint-Germain side dumped Xavi and co out of the Champions League last week in their own backyard – their temporary one in Montjuic anyway.
Yet it’s Arteta who’s most recently been linked with the job, as in January it suddenly surfaced in Spain that the Arsenal boss had already agreed to succeed Xavi. Arteta promptly shut down those rumours, describing the story as “fake news,” but the fact remains that his deal is about to enter its final year.
“I still have a year in my contract, that’s a long time in football. The players are happy, the club is happy, no issues. I’m just focusing on the games and winning football matches and that’s the most important thing right now.”
In-depth discussions over Arteta’s future will likely take place after the end of the campaign, with the big games still coming thick and fast. Owners Kroenke Sports & Entertainment are set to back him with another sizeable budget in the summer transfer window and both parties remain fully committed to bringing the glory days back to the red half of North London.
