Al Sadd communicated through his official Twitter account that Xavi Hernández will no longer be coach of the first team after the payment of the exit clause (5 million euros). In this way, the Spaniard is free to lead FC Barcelona, as was expected to happen after the dismissal of Ronald Koeman.
The statement from the Arab club announcing the departure of Xavi ensures a clear path for the Catalan team with a coach from his own quarry of players, as he struggles to remain in the foreground after the departure of Lionel Messi from Barcelona.
The presentation of the new Blaugrana coach would take place next Monday, November 8 at the Camp Nou. He would sign for two seasons, until 2024.
“The administrators of Al-Sadd have reached an agreement with FC Barcelona after payment of the termination clause stipulated in Xavi’s contract. We have agreed to cooperate with Barcelona in the future. Xavi is an important part of Al Sadd’s story and we wish him success. He informed us a few days ago of his desire to go to Barcelona at this particular time, due to the critical stage that his hometown club is going through, and we understand this and decided not to stand in his way. Xavi and his family will continue to be welcome in Doha, and our relationship will continue, ”says the text of the Qatari club, the country where the FIFA World Cup will be played in 2022, as published Sport.
Xavi Hernández is part of FC Barcelona history. The player was present in 17 consecutive seasons, and was one of the keys for the Catalan club to lead European football for years.
“Xavi returns home”, headline the Spanish media.
All expectations are on whether this time the club will find a stable coach.
Barça has invested more than 32 million euros in different starters since the departure of Luis Enrique in 2017.
At the end of October, and after Koeman’s departure, FC Barcelona announced that Sergi Barjuan would be the interim coach for the following matches.