Marca reported that Al-Ittihad club has already contacted Xavi Hernandez in the past few hours, offering the Catalan coach the position to succeed the sacked French coach Laurent Blanc.
Since leaving Barcelona in the summer of 2023, Xavi has not coached a club, despite receiving numerous offers from within Europe, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. He was even considered a candidate to coach the Qatari national team a few months ago.
Al-Ittihad management has placed Xavi at the top of a list of five candidates to succeed Blanc, and contact has already taken place between the Saudi club and the coach’s camp. However, all indications are that the former Barcelona coach will not move to Al-Ittihad.
According to Marca, Xavi has clearly informed Al-Ittihad officials that he does not currently prefer coaching in the Saudi league, and that his priority remains working in the top five leagues.
Xavi doesn’t mind staying at home for another year or more. The Catalan doesn’t want to rush into choosing his next destination, preferring to wait until the right opportunity and project align with his ideals arise, at which point he will sign for his new club without hesitation.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano also revealed in recent days that Xavi has a particular interest in coaching Manchester United if Ruben Amorim is sacked soon. However, the English club is not currently considering him and would prefer to hire a coach with previous experience in the Premier League.
It should be noted that Sergio Conceicao, Roger Schmidt, and Luciano Spalletti are the most prominent candidates to succeed Blanc at the Etihad. There are reportedly attempts with Jürgen Klopp and current Aston Villa manager Unai Emery, but these are extremely difficult and complicated.
