Xavi Admits Desire to Manage in Premier League

Former Barcelona manager Xavi has admitted that he would “love to work in the Premier League” as he approaches a year without a job.

The 45-year-old was one of the greatest midfielder to have ever played the game before turning his hand to management in 2019. He started coaching Al Sadd in Qatar and eventually sealed a return to Barcelona, where he played for 17 years with the club's senior squad.

Xavi took on the vacant managerial position in Catalonia in 2021 and won La Liga with the club during the 2022–23 season, but things turned sour at the end of last term as he parted ways with La Blaugrana.

The former World Cup winner has been out of the coaching game since but has revealed his ambition to return to the hot seat, with the Premier League a dream destination.

“Of course? Where, I don’t know,” the Spaniard told The Athletic when quizzed about a return to management. “There’s no hurry for me, but I’d like a good project. Like, ‘You have four years to work and make a project’. I’d love to work in the Premier League because I love the passion there. In Spain, it’s too much about the result.

“Or a national team, that would appeal. When I dreamed about being a coach, I dreamed about being in a World Cup or European Championship.”

Xavi, who does speak English, could be a name under consideration throughout the Premier League this summer. Tottenham Hotspur could part ways with Ange Postecoglou and open the door for the Barcelona icon, while the futures of Enzo Maresca at Chelsea and Ruben Amorim at Manchester United are not certain.