Newcastle United are almost into the third week of their search for a new manager and unfortunately, their options are dwindling.
Big-name managers out there may be waiting for other jobs to come up. After all, it’s not insane to suggest that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could be leaving Manchester United sooner rather than later.
Antonio Conte, who has been linked to Newcastle, is reportedly very keen on the job at Old Trafford, and we can imagine there are a couple of other gaffers in the same boat.
However, it’s not just the United job that is affecting Newcastle. Indeed, Barcelona have just parted ways with Ronald Koeman and if reports are to be believed, La Blaugrana could be about to appoint a manager who Newcastle have been linked to.
Of course, we’re talking about Xavi.
The Spaniard was a technical genius as a player. He read the game better than anyone else and he played under some of the greatest coaches of all time.
Therefore, it stands to reason to believe that Xavi would also be a great manager, and while he’s only been in management for a couple of years, he looks to be the real deal.
In two and a half seasons of management, the Spaniard has lost just 16 matches at Al-Sadd, while he’s not been on the losing side in a league match since March 2020 – almost 19 months ago.
With Barca DNA running through his veins, it’s no surprise to hear that Xavi has been playing an incredibly entertaining style of play over in Qatar, promoting possession play while also pressing high up the pitch.
While it isn’t the best standard of football over in Qatar, the Spaniard knows exactly what it takes to win at the top level, picking up no fewer than four Champions League winners’ medals during his playing career.
Everything seems to point towards Xavi being a fantastic manager. He has the pedigree from his playing career, he plays a beautiful style and he’s not lost a league game for over a year and a half.
Unfortunately, it seems as though he’s now more likely to head to Camp Nou than St James’ Park and Newcastle may miss out on a gem of a gaffer.
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