Pep Guardiola renewed year after year at Barcelona. In 2010, election time, he reached a verbal agreement in January. In 2011 he signed his continuity in February. In mid-April, with 10 games to go to finish the League, Xavi Hernández does not want to hear about his renewal. This is not the time now that Barça is so close to the title. He subdued her. First win and then renew, he asked the club for the coach yesterday.
The coach's rush is to proclaim himself champion and not to close his new contract. The list of priorities begins by conquering a League that has not entered Barça's showcases for three years. That is the most urgent thing in Xavi's opinion, who is immersed in the heat of battle, starting this Sunday (he doesn't like the schedule) at Getafe's house, where Barça went by train. Surely it also influences that the one from Terrassa has a contract until 2024.
This week there have been the first contacts between the FC Barcelona sports leadership and one of the coach's agents, Fernando Solanas. Xavi himself confirmed the approach. In fact, it was the president Joan Laporta who announced in March that he already had in mind offering the renewal to the coach, who assures that the agreement will be simple but for the moment he prefers to put the negotiation on hold. “It makes me happy that they value the work. The conversations with the president and with Mateu (Alemany, the football director) are every day. There will be no problem to understand each other, just as if things were bad. The important thing now is to focus on winning the League ”, he prescribed.
On the table is the option of extending their bond for two more seasons, until 2026. And although he haggles over the issue, Xavi is thinking about the future. That's why he doesn't want to lose Gavi. He advised the youth squad player not to leave Barça despite the temptations that come from the Premier. “I'm not in other people's brains but I think Gavi won't be as happy elsewhere as he is here. He is 18 years old and is a starter. His future goes through Barça. He will decide but he will not be so happy outside ”. Word of someone who played 17 seasons in the first team.
There the concessions on the planning of the following season ended. Because Xavi has the League title between his eyebrows. His main concern is Getafe. After the elimination of the Cup and not going beyond the 0-0 draw against Girona last day, Barcelona needs to return to the path of victory at the Coliseum, where the locals have three consecutive wins -Valencia, Girona and Seville- . “It will be one more test. They risk a lot, they risk their lives and not go down. We are very excited to win the League. We would have signed to be leaders like that before we started. But we will need to win many games to win the title, ”he warned.
In the last 10 days, the championship gets serious and Xavi is aware. "I would say that this is not the time for many tests," he explained, because he also does not recover any of the four injured: Pedri, Dembélé, De Jong and Christensen. Even so, Barcelona knows that by winning they will end up discouraging and giving up their pursuers... from afar. “We compete against very strong rivals. Now you see Madrid and Atlético play and you realize the level they have. Either of the two squads could win the League. For this reason, I say that my players have a lot of merit, ”he stressed. The League, once again, above all else.
