Xavi promises Joan Laporta to take Barça ‘back to the top in a year’ after UCL exit

Last night’s 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich, which sent Barcelona packing from the UEFA Champions League, was a major reality-check for the La Liga giants.

The Catalans have been well below their best for quite a while now with years of fund mismanagement, poor recruitment under the previous board coming to haunt Xavi Hernandez & co. and giving them a harsh wake-up call over the task at hand.

This is the first time in 21 years that Barcelona have been eliminated from the group stages of the UEFA Champions League. They managed to score just two goals from six games in the competition. While the absence of Lionel Messi was a major factor, the size of the rebuilding job that needs to be undertaken cannot be overlooked.

Now, Diario AS is reporting that manager Xavi and club president Joan Laporta spoke at length during the flight back from Germany after the loss, during which they accepted the reality that Barcelona were two or three levels below a team like Bayern Munich.

The pair are believed to have agreed that some drastic changes will need to be made in order to arrest this slump and avoid further deterioration.

The report also claims that manager Xavi made a promise to Laporta to take the team ‘back to the top’. The 41-year-old is believed to have told the club president that in a year, he will build a team that is ready to compete at the same level as Bayern Munich.

Laporta, in turn, is understood to have given his word to the club legend that he will be backed to the hilt in the transfer window, with the club ready to make serious efforts to rebuild the squad despite the financial situation.

The first step in that direction will begin with the January window when Barcelona will make serious attempts to offload unwanted players like Philippe Coutinho, Samuel Umtiti, Luuk de Jong and Alex Collado, which should help free up room on the wage bill.

Furthermore, the return of Pedri, Ansu Fati and Martin Braithwaite from injuries and the availability of Dani Alves would also enhance the level of the squad. On top of that, Barca also want to make a few signings, with Ferran Torres of Manchester City on top of the list.

At the same time, plans for strengthening the team in the summer will also be drawn up, as Xavi looks to build a squad capable of bringing the glory days back to Camp Nou.