‘Certainly an interest’: Journalist drops Newcastle claim about gaffer who’s lost just 16 games

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Speaking on the Transfer Window Podcast, Ian McGarry has shared what he knows about the Newcastle United job after the departure of Steve Bruce.

Bruce was sacked by the Magpies on Tuesday morning and the rumour mill has been going wild since then with the likes of Frank Lampard and Paulo Fonseca already linked.

However, McGarry is led to believe that Barcelona legend Xavi could be in the running for the job, stating that there is interest from one of the parties in getting the Spaniard to St James’ Park.

What’s been said?

McGarry made a claim about Xavi and Newcastle.

“One name that I find very interesting that has been mentioned to me, not that there has been an approach made, as far as I’m aware but there is certainly an interest from one of the parties, Xavier Hernandez, the former Barcelona captain who has widely been touted as a successor for Ronald Koeman. However, it has been relayed to me by someone very close to Xavi that he’s not keen to follow Koeman directly into Camp Nou. As a club legend, he doesn’t want to take that job under the circumstances in which the club find themselves in,” McGarry said.

“Newcastle United could well be a good staging post for him in terms of gaining experience in a superior league and also being a challenge in regards to taking a big club on which is not as big as Barcelona but is certainly one of the larger ones in English football.”

Exciting

What an exciting appointment this would be.

Xavi was an absolute genius on the pitch as a player, and there’s every reason to believe he could be a truly revolutionary manager.

He spent his entire career at Barcelona, working under and alongside some of the greatest footballing minds in history, while his managerial career in Qatar has gotten off to a brilliant start.

Indeed, in three years in charge of Al-Sadd, Xavi has lost just 16 games, while he hasn’t lost a game in the league since March 2020, almost 18 months ago.

Xavi could be a brilliant appointment for Newcastle.