Barcelona has reached an agreement in principle with Hansi Flick, who is set to replace current head coach Xavi Hernandez.

This decision comes amid a turbulent season and a series of events leading to Xavi’s departure.

Xavi initially announced his intention to resign at the end of the season back in January, following a 5-3 defeat to Villarreal at the Montjuic Stadium.

Despite the early announcement, Xavi decided to honor his contract, which expires on June 30, 2025, after Barcelona was knocked out of the Champions League quarterfinals by Paris Saint-Germain and suffered a critical defeat in El Clasico to Real Madrid, effectively conceding the La Liga title.

In late April, Xavi reversed his decision to resign but three weeks later, he made candid remarks regarding Barcelona’s financial struggles and their impact on competing with Real Madrid.

These comments reportedly displeased President Joan Laporta and his board, leading to reports from RAC1 that Xavi would be dismissed in the coming days.

Hansi Flick at Barcelona

Catalunya Radio reports that Hansi Flick has a 95% chance of becoming Barcelona’s new coach.

He declined offers from Chelsea and Bayern Munich to pursue this opportunity.

The reports also indicated that Flick prefers a long-term project like Barcelona over Bayern. Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano stated that Flick was never in discussions with Chelsea and had been waiting for the Barcelona option for months.

Mundo Deportivo noted that Chelsea approached Flick about replacing Mauricio Pochettino after his recent dismissal, but Flick turned down the offer to prioritize Barcelona.

Hansi Flick Career, Trophies, Formation

Flick was appointed interim Bayern manager in November 2019 and became the permanent manager in April 2020.

Under his leadership, Bayern won the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal, and the UEFA Champions League in his first year.

Bayern enjoyed massive success during his charge at Bayern with 70 wins in 86 games.

The Bavarians also won their sixth Champions League trophy with Flick at the helm.

However, Flick had his fair share of struggles during his tenure with Germany, where the side crashed out of the 2022 FIFA WC in the group stages.

Flick’s style of plays involves modern, high-tempo, offensive, pressure-high football, and collective quality in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Vanguard News