Barcelona sporting director Deco has ruled out a move for Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta ahead of current manager Xavi Hernandez’s impending summer departure.
La Blaugrana are currently assessing potential options to replace Xavi at the helm in Catalunya, with the ex-midfielder recently announcing that he intends to leave the club in the summer.
Since Xavi announced he was leaving, Barca have been in thoroughly impressive form – enjoying a ten-game unbeaten run in all competitions, ending Atletico Madrid’s unbeaten run at home in La Liga, and qualifying for the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2020.
This dramatic upturn in form has led to many believing that Xavi should remain in charge and reports have claimed there are three conditions which could tempt the manager to reconsider his decision – one of which is Barca specifically asking him to stay. Deco hasn’t explicitly ruled that out.
If Xavi does leave, a list of candidates for the job have been drawn up, with Mikel Arteta reported to be being a favourite of Barca’s hierarchy given his connection to the club. Paris Saint-Germain’s Luis Enrique, Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola and Porto’s Sergio Conceicao have all also been linked.
Speaking about the rumours linking Barca with a move for Arteta, and other linked coaches, Deco told SER Catalunya’s Que t’hi Jugues: “Nothing has been decided yet, but we are attentive.
“Of course I am charmed by Luis Enrique, he is a top coach. Obviously you can appreciate top managers like and as well, but they are not available. Just like Mikel Arteta, Andoni Iraola and Sergio Conceicao too. We haven’t spoken with them at all and it’s pointless to mention them. We’re not speaking to any manager yet.”
Speaking in another interview previously, Deco admitted that the search for a “top-level” manager to replace Xavi was proving to be difficult.
“There are not many top-level coaches out there,” he said. “Most are under contract, there are not many people available,” Deco said. “Barca has a style that everyone knows. But there is no robot portrait of the ideal coach. Nationality does not count, What counts is the quality, the ambition.”
