Juventus has placed Xavi Hernandez at the top of the list of candidates to coach the Bianconeri starting next season, and the coach also welcomes the move but sets an important condition.
According to Spanish media reports, Xavi has stipulated that he be allowed to sign certain players of his choice, most notably Villarreal midfielder Alex Baena.
This isn’t the first time Xavi has shown interest in Baena; he wanted to sign him before leaving Barcelona and sees him as an indispensable part of establishing a position system.
For Juventus, the club is relatively skeptical about the idea of giving the coach broad powers in the transfer market, especially since this happened with Thiago Motta last summer, which resulted in a resounding failure.
Juventus’ management has yet to make a decision on Motta’s future, although it’s likely he will stay until the end of the season, followed by Xavi or someone else, starting with the 2025 Club World Cup.
It’s worth noting that Xavi previously announced he would return to coaching next summer. Media reports have indicated that the Catalan coach received offers from Arab and Mexican countries, but rejected them all, citing his desire to coach in Europe’s top five leagues.
