Xavi Set For Barcelona, As Al Sadd Confirm Departure

Qatar-based club, Al Sadd have confirmed that Xavi has left the club to take over as Barcelona head coach, following Ronaldo Koeman’s sacking.

Koeman was given his marching orders last month following Barça’s miserable 1-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano, a result which left the club ninth in La Liga and six points behind current leaders Real Madrid.

Sergi Barjuan was then appointed interim head coach and he has secured a draw against Alaves and a victory over Dynamo Kyiv during his two games in charge.

Barcelona sent a delegation of executives to Qatar to negotiate a deal for his release and talks have been successful, with Al Sadd confirming the news on Friday morning.

A club statement read: “The administration agreed on the transfer of Xavi to Barcelona after paying the penalty clause stipulated in the contract. We agreed with Barcelona on practical cooperation in the future, Xavi is an important part of the history and we wish him all success in the next stage.”

Xavi left Barcelona in 2015 and retired as a player four years later with Al Sadd, the side he started managing in 2019. Al Sadd is traditionally the strongest team in Qatar and continued that dominance with Xavi, who won the 2020/21 QNB Stars League as well as numerous domestic cups.

It is likely too soon for him to take charge of Barcelona’s next game, which is a trip to Celta Vigo on Saturday afternoon. As a result, Barjuan is set to be given a further match in charge.

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