With Xavi on the verge of being announced by Barcelona as their new coach, the former midfielder is clearly going to have his work cut out in terms of helping the Catalan outfit recapture their former glories.
Off the pitch won’t necessarily be his concern, though Barca’s financial mess will ensure that he doesn’t have too much money to throw about in the January transfer window.
Before then, however, he’ll need to concentrate in bringing back a style that is synonymous with the club and which has been sorely missing for years.
It’ll take time to implement, but is a pre-requisite.
One of the first things he’ll need to do is rid himself of Ousmane Dembele. The French World Cup winner is nothing but a liability.
Sport, cited by Football Espana, note that the club actually want to hand him a new contract, however, his injury record should see to it that they quickly rescind it.
He wasn’t on the pitch for long against Dynamo Kyiv in midweek, after a long lay-off, and he’s already injured again. Barcelona’s official website are reporting that the club don’t even know how long it will be before he returns again.
Although ESPN’s Steve Nicol, cited by the Liverpool ECHO, has suggested that Liverpool should steer well clear of a player they’ve reportedly shown interest in, Barca have to make it a priority to find him another club, and aim to ensure the Reds follow up their earlier enquiries.