Barcelona appoint Hansi Flick as manager to replace Xavi

Barcelona have introduced the appointment of former Bayern Munich and Germany coach Hansi Flick because the membership’s new supervisor on a two-year contract.

Flick, 59, replaces Xavi Hernández, who managed his closing sport with the membership on Sunday, a 2-1 LaLiga victory towards Sevilla, after being sacked final week.

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“It’s a huge honour and a dream to signal the contract with this superb membership,” Flick stated. “The hours I’ve been right here in Barcelona have been superb. Everybody right here loves this membership and offers their finest to have success.

“The philosophy is just like mine: ball possession and actually attacking soccer, that are issues I really like. Barcelona even have certainly one of finest academies on this planet and an excellent combine between expertise and younger expertise. It is our job now to work collectively and to enhance them. For me, the group work is absolutely necessary.

“I received titles with Bayern. My starvation for titles is absolutely huge and I wish to keep on this path with Barcelona. We are able to obtain quite a bit collectively.”

Flick has been out of labor since September 2023, when he was fired by the German nationwide group following a group-stage exit on the 2022 World Cup and a run of poor outcomes after the event.

He had beforehand overseen nice success at Bayern, successful the Champions League as a part of a historic treble in 2020 earlier than he took on the Germany job in the summertime of 2021.

Barça has had long-standing curiosity within the German coach; ESPN reported in 2021 that membership president Joan Laporta had sounded out his availability whereas he was nonetheless answerable for Bayern.

On that event, he had already dedicated to the Germany job, however Laporta has remained a fan and talks with Flick’s camp have been fixed since Xavi introduced in January that he would step down.

Flick’s possibilities of touchdown the Barça job appeared to finish final month when it was revealed Xavi would fulfil his contract, which was resulting from run till 2025, however occasions then took one other flip.

Remarks made by Xavi in regards to the membership’s tough monetary place didn’t go down nicely with Laporta, and sources instructed ESPN that the Barça president was by no means fairly satisfied by the Catalan coach.

That led to Xavi’s dismissal final week, with the previous Spain worldwide saying on Saturday he “revered and accepted the choice” even when he would have most popular to go away “in different circumstances.”

Xavi has agreed to surrender the ultimate yr of his wage, which sources instructed ESPN was resulting from be round €12 million.

Nonetheless, he will likely be paid again a considerable a part of the €2.5m he paid from his personal pocket to safe his exit from his earlier job with Al Sadd in 2021. The six members of his backroom workers will even be remunerated for the ultimate yr of their contracts at a value of round €4m to Barça.

Xavi changed Ronald Koeman on the finish of 2021, steering the group from ninth in LaLiga to a second-placed end in his first marketing campaign in cost.

He then led Barça to their first LaLiga title since 2019 in 2022-23, additionally successful the Spanish Supercopa, however a trophyless marketing campaign this time round led the membership to go for a change of course.