Al Sadd responded to rumors of linking Xavi with the hot seat of Barcelona by asking the La Liga giants to step back.
The Barcelona legend appears to be the favorite to replace Ronald Koeman, who was sacked after leading the Blaugrana to their worst start to the season since 1987-88.
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But Al Sadd insists that their manager still has two years left in Qatar and is “fully focused” on the team’s upcoming matches as well as defending the title.
The following club statement was issued on TwitterIn response to what was circulated recently, the #Al-Sadd management confirms that Xavi has a two-year contract with the club and is fully focused on the team’s upcoming matches, to maintain the top of the league and defend the title.
Xavi is among the greatest Barcelona legends and was part of Pep Guardiola’s unstoppable and entertaining team.
The 41-year-old has formed an amazing partnership with Andres Iniesta as well as Sergio Busquets in the midfield and mixed them with other big names, such as Lionel Messi, Neymar, Luis Suarez and others.
The former Spain international enjoyed massive success during his 17-year spell at the Nou Camp, winning eight La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey titles and four Champions League titles.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed that he is still in contact with the former club captain and reiterated his expectation that one day he will take over as coach.
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Laporta said: “My opinion of Xavi as a manager is that he learns, he develops, I have really good references from people close to him who know him better than me in this way.
“I spoke with him two months ago when Ronald Koeman gave us that confidence because I understand we had to give him those months, the team needed some time to recover.
“I have a great relationship with Xavi, I spoke with him last month, I know what he thinks of this team, what he thinks should happen. We talk like two friends and in this case my opinion is a really good one.
“I’m talking to him because he loves football, he’s a big fan of Barcelona, and that’s one of his goals in his life.
“If he is the one who can manage this team, I have a great relationship with him which is a possibility because we will see how everything continues to develop.
“These are private conversations between friends and I cannot explain what we were talking about.
“I’ve already told you and I can’t explain anything about our choices because it wouldn’t be professional and it would affect our plans. I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you anything.
“I have always said that one day he will be the head coach of Barcelona but I don’t know when. We have great references on Xavi at Al Sadd.
“All our reports on Xavi are positive. We can talk a lot about Xavi but I can’t give you more details. It’s in all the papers, but we also have other options.”
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