Breaking News: Pep Guardiola recommends Premier League boss to Barcelona as Xavi’s replacement

Xavi will leave Barcelona in the summer (Image: Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

With Xavi leaving, Barcelona will have a new manager in the dugout come season, and Pep Guardiola has instructed his former team to go after Roberto De Zerbi of Brighton.

Pep Guardiola has instructed Barcelona to consider selecting Roberto De Zerbi to be their next manager.

After Xavi declared he would be leaving the team this summer, the Nou Camp hierarchy is debating their next course of action. Real Madrid is eight points ahead of Barcelona in La Liga, and it appears that Barcelona will lose the title.

They have shortlisted Hansi Flick and Thomas Tuchel, two former Bayern Munich managers, but Joan Laporta, the president of Barcelona, has spoken with Guardiola to get his view. According to Mundo Deportivo, the Catalan has informed the club’s executive that if the Brighton manager were in charge, he would pursue him.

Unwillingness on the part of the Spanish team to pay De Zerbi’s release clause is expected to be Barcelona’s primary problem. With the Italian’s reputation growing, the Seagulls will need to pay their manager handsomely if they are to let him go.

Unknown when he arrived in England, De Zerbi was sought after by Brighton as a Graham Potter stand-in. But their new manager soon started emphasizing his worth, and he’s successfully led the South Coast team into Europe for the first time.

Last year, Guardiola showered the Seagulls manager with praise, saying, “No team plays the way they play—it’s unique.” When he first arrived, I had a gut feeling that he would have a significant impact on the Premier League, but I didn’t think he would do so so quickly. He is far superior to most opponents in creating twenty or twenty-five chances per game. In a manner not seen in a while, he monopolizes the ball. They are fully deserving of their success.”

Despite making significant investments recently to reestablish themselves as a dominant force in Europe, Barcelona is by no means the force of old. Despite having only won La Liga once in the previous four years, they do have a lot of talented players, such as Pedri, Gavi, and Lamine Yamal, who graduated from the academy.

“Of course, there’s going to be interest and eventually he’s going to manage a top, top, top team, it’s just a fact,” Brighton star Adam Lallana stated earlier in the season. However, particularly right now, he recognizes that he’s got it good here and that, as players, we can all sense that.