Barcelona were close to hiring former Juventus manager following Koeman sack – report

It has only been a year since Barcelona made the decision to fire Ronald Koeman. Xavi Hernandez was hired as his immediate replacement, as part of the club’s plans to radically change the system and bring more order to the team.

A year later, Xavi has had mixed success. While the team has strengthened significantly thanks to the market activity, Barcelona have continued to underperform in European competitions.

Nevertheless, the situation at Barcelona could have been entirely different had it not been for a late of mind from Joan Laporta, who was inclined on hiring Andrea Pirlo as the replacement for Koeman last year.

This has been reported by Diario SPORT, who reveal that one particular night, Laporta had called the four Barcelona captains and three other players to inform them that he had decided to hire Pirlo as the new coach.

Laporta was convinced of Pirlo’s qualities, even though the Italian tactician did not enjoy much success during his stint with Juventus. Under his leadership, the Italian giants missed out on the league title, finishing fourth in the 2020/21 campaign.

Laporta believed Pirlo could be his new Frank Rijkaard and help Barcelona drive out of misery. However, the Barcelona president soon changed his perception after calling the Barcelona players, some of who were very close to Xavi.

They were in unison in suggesting the option of Xavi and labelled Pirlo as a risky option due to the Italian’s radical ideas and lack of experience. He also did not know the language.

Laporta ultimately heeded the opinion of the dressing room and appointed Xavi, who is about to complete his one year as Barcelona coach.

Although the Spaniard has registered the worst record by any Barça manager after 50 matches, the board remains confident that Xavi can deliver in the long-run, especially in the backdrop of smart investments in the transfer market.