Grau and Abidal travelled this Friday to Doha to see Dembele's recovery in person. There, the CEO and the Barcelona tecnical secretary took the chance to have a meeting with Xavi Hernandez. 

Barcelona's defeat in the Spanish Super Cup against Atletico Madrid put Ernesto Valverde's future under question, It was then when reports talked about Xavi Hernandez becoming Barcelona coach. This was especially true once the meeting had concluded. 

Al Sadd have not taken long to respond. In an official statement on their media channels, the Qatari side have made their opinion clear. They are not thinking of letting him go just yet. 

"Xavi going to Barcelona is normal and expected because he will be at this club [in the future], it's his first home and he must return there in the future, but as of today, Xavi is the coach of Al Sadd.", the statement began. 

It was then when the Qatari outfit sent a message to Barca. "Xavi and his team are focusing on tomorrow's match against Al-Rayyan and we know that a club with the size and professionalism of Barcelona will take to official channels to speak of such matters."

Al Sadd warned Barca they would not let Xavi Hernandez leave for free and even less so mid-season. Barca could wait until June to change their manager. 

 

January 10, 2020