“No matter what he does, the same will happen” - Xavi fires warning to next Barcelona manager

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez warned the club's next manager of the difficulties he will face. The Spaniard recently announced that he would leave his role at the season's end.

His announcement came after Barcelona's 5-3 La Liga defeat to Villarreal at home, where they conceded two goals in injury time. Speaking ahead of their league match against Osasuna, Xavi fired a warning to the next manager, saying (via BarcaTimes):

"A piece of advice for the next manager to not go through the same as me and the last managers? There's none. No matter what he'll do, the same will happen."

The former midfielder took over as Barcelona boss from Ronald Koeman in November 2021 after coaching Al Sadd in Qatar. In his first full season, Xavi led the Blaugrana to the Supercopa de Espana and La Liga titles, with the club conceding only 20 goals in the league.

These were notably the club's first trophies since Lionel Messi left for Paris Saint-Germain. However, this season has been tough for Barcelona and Xavi.

They recently lost 4-1 to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup and were eliminated from the Copa del Rey, losing 4-2 to Athletic Bilbao. Their recent loss to Villarreal, where they conceded two stoppage-time goals at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, was the final nail in the coffin for Xavi.

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Barcelona sporting director Deco planning major squad overhaul to raise funds

Barca's sporting director Deco is reportedly set to initiate a major clearout this summer to raise funds. According to Sport (via Football Espana), he plans to generate over €200 million through player sales.

The first players expected to leave will be Sergi Roberto and Marcos Alonso, who will not be offered new contracts. Among others expected to be sold is 27-year-old Brazilian winger Raphinha, who once had the sporting director as his agent. Additionally, some center-backs, including Andreas Christensen, Jules Kounde, and Ronald Araujo are believed to be on the list to be sold.

Deco intends to use the money from these sales to improve the team for the next season, as they are expecting to get good money for Araujo. The defender is attracting interest from Bayern Munich, with the club reportedly prepared to pay around €100 million for his services.