Barcelona sporting director Deco rules out ‘pointless’ talk that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta could replace Xavi… as he admits he ‘didn’t want his former team-mate to leave’
- Deco admitted that PSG boss Luis Enrique could be a candidate
- Their current boss Xavi announced that he will leave the Catalan squad in the summer
- Ange Postecoglou will not be guided by criticism and will not change his goals because of Daniel Levy… this is who he is! It all starts podcast
Barcelona sporting director Deco has ruled out speculation that Mikel Arteta, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola could all be considered to take over for Xavi, claiming it was ‘pointless’ to name the trio.
While Barcelona sit second in the LaLiga standings and have reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Xavi announced he will leave the club at the end of the season after their indifferent form left them eight points behind. rivals Real Madrid in the title race.
Speculation is mounting that Arsenal boss Arteta could be one of the leading contenders to take over from Xavi, with Gerard Pique naming Arteta as one of the top coaches who could succeed the Barcelona boss.
While it seems unlikely that Arteta could switch to the Spanish champions this summer given his work at Arsenal, Deco seemingly put an end to that speculation and revealed Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique could be in the picture.
“Nothing has been decided yet, but we are alert,” he told the Spanish radio station. Que t’hi Jugues show from SER Catalunyawhen asked about possible replacements for Xavi.
Deco has ruled out speculation that Mikel Arteta could replace Xavi as Barcelona manager
The Arsenal boss is one of several names thrown into the hat to replace Xavi
After the pressure on the Spaniard increased, Xavi announced that he would leave the club
He added: ‘Of course I like Luis Enrique, he is a top coach.
‘Of course you can also appreciate top managers like Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, but they are not available. So do Mikel Arteta, Andoni Iraola and Sergio Conceicao.
“We haven’t spoken to them at all and there’s no point in mentioning them. We are not speaking to any managers yet.’
In January, Arteta dismissed Spanish media claims that he could quit his job at Arsenal and take over from Xavi at the end of the season as ‘fake news’.
“That’s completely fake news,” said a visibly irritated Arteta ahead of Arsenal’s match against Nottingham Forest. ‘I don’t know where it came from and it’s completely untrue. I’m really angry about it.
‘I could not believe it. It has no source. There’s nothing in it and I think we have to be very careful when you talk about personal things.’
Speaking about Xavi’s decision to retire, his former teammate Deco explained that he did not want the Spanish coach to leave the club.
Deco did state that former PSG boss Luis Enrique could be a candidate to take over at Barça
Deco (left) said he ‘didn’t want ex-teammate Xavi to say he was leaving Barcelona’
“I didn’t want him to say he was leaving, but he’s made his decision,” Deco added.
‘I already said that Xavi’s time has not changed yet, there are still things to fight for. In football everything changes overnight. At every match preview they ask me whether Xavi will stay or not.
“Xavi keeps telling us that his decision is irreversible. If Xavi changes his mind, he must tell us. For us he is an ideal coach, always positive, never complains, he knows the difficulties of the club. History will say he rebuilt Barca.”
