Xavi potential next club

Still unemployed following his Barcelona exit, we explore where Xavi could next head back into management.

Billed as one of Europe's most exciting coaches not too long ago, speculation surrounding Xavi appears to have cooled after he left Barcelona.

A legendary figure with the Blaugrana - the 45-year-old gained his coaching experience with Al Sadd where he lifted multiple trophies including the Qatari top-flight before landing the top job at his hometown club.

Chosen as a replacement for Ronald Koeman, Xavi steered his team to a second-place finish in La Liga before going one better during his first full season in charge.

It wouldn't last, however, and with successive major defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, Xavi would depart at the end of his third season.

Xavi's career so far

Years	Club
2019-2021	Al Sadd
2021-2024	Barcelona

Managerial Honours

Al Sadd

• Qatar Stars League: 2020/21
• Qatar Cup: 2020, 2021
• Sheikh Jassim Cup: 2019
• Emir of Qatar Cup: 2020, 2021
• Qatari Stars Cup: 2019/20

Barcelona

• La Liga: 2022-23
• Supercopa de Espana: 2023

Managerial style

When asked about his approach to management Xavi said, "The matter of managing a dressing room is almost more important than the tactical matter. At the end of the day we become half coaches, half psychologists."

Whilst this reveals a lot about Xavi's style off the pitch, he does also have a distinct philosophy for his teams on it.

Citing Pep Guardiola as his tactical inspiration it will come as no surprise to hear that Xavi likes to deploy a possession-based style with a focus on intricate positional play.

Potential next club

A full year has passed since Xavi was last employed by a club and as of yet, tenuous links to managerial positions are yet to bear fruit.

Manchester United, Ajax and more recently Tottenham Hotspur have all been talked up as potential destinations with the Spaniard a 10/1 chance to replace Ange Postecoglou at Spurs.

Francesco Farioli's recent Ajax departure probably gave Xavi the most realistic chance of getting back into management with the long-standing relationship between Barcelona and Ajax viewed as a gateway for Xavi to take over at the Amsterdam club.

It would be hard to picture Xavi managing anyone else other than Barcelona in Spain so options abroad might be more likely with Juventus an intriguing proposition.

The Old Lady are currently led by Igor Tudor but speculation over his future has continued to rumble on. Xavi would be a name befitting of a club the size of Juventus and his reputation for developing young players would be a great benefit to a squad filled with emerging stars.