Xavi’s potential destinations – ranked

An era which once promised so much at Barcelona has reached its epilogue.

Xavi Hernandez, the once marvellous midfielder who functioned as the beating heart of Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Catalans, revealed in January that his tenure as Barca coach will draw to a premature close at the end of the 2023/24 season.

The current campaign has been one of indifference for Spain’s reigning champions, with the tension and “entorno” surrounding the club playing major factors in Xavi’s decision to step down.

Much of the discourse in the wake of Xavi’s announcement has focused on who’ll succeed the Spaniard at the helm. Little has been made of the manager’s future.

Here’s how 90min ranks potential job openings for Xavi after he departs Barcelona come summer.

Like Barcelona, Liverpool will be on the hunt for a new manager in the summer after Jurgen Klopp revealed that he’d be stepping down at the end of the season following a nine-year tenure at Anfield.

However, Xavi isn’t a name the Reds are likely to entertain. His body of work doesn’t suggest he’ll be capable of guiding an incredibly emotional club through what could be a painful rebuild in the wake of Klopp’s exit.

Liverpool are more likely to target Xavi’s former international teammate Xabi Alonso for the role instead.

Likelihood rating: 1/10

Chelsea are desperate for the Mauricio Pochettino project to come good for a myriad of reasons. However, the Argentine’s debut season has been laden with misery outside of their success in the domestic cups.

The Blues are once again mid-table fodder in the Premier League, and there’s a chance that the club part ways with Poch should their campaign end in a similar vein to 2022/23 (12th in the final standings).

If Todd Boehly is incessant on sticking with a ‘project manager’ in the wake of another failure, then Xavi might be a name they consider. However, Chelsea fans are more likely to clamour for a return to the DNA that made them so successful under Roman Abrahmovich’s ownership.

As it stands, it’s hard to envisage Xavi marauding the home dugout at Stamford Bridge. It’s just not a great match.

Likelihood rating: 3/10

Xavi wound down his playing days in Qatar with Al Sadd before then beginning his managerial career…