As soon as Xavi Hernandez announced his decision to leave Barcelona at the end of the season, the rumour mill was abuzz with a plethora of names as possible candidates to replace him in the hotseat.
Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, Hansi Flick, Roberto De Zerbi, and Thiago Motta, among others, were some of the names linked to Barça initially.
Another manager who was touted as a possible candidate to take over from Xavi at the Catalan outfit was FC Porto head coach Sergio Conceicao.
The 49-year-old’s contract with the Portuguese outfit expires at the end of the season and he is represented by superagent Jorge Mendes, who has great relations with Barcelona president Joan Laporta.
This led to speculations that Conceicao could be an option for the Blaugrana, more so with Deco’s familiarity with his compatriot.
Barcelona have never considered Conceicao
However, SPORT now reports that Barcelona have never considered Conceicao as an option to replace Xavi as the first-team manager.
The reality is that Conceicao, who finishes his contract with Porto on 30 June, has never been on any of the shortlist of potential candidates from within the Catalan club.
Conceicao was never considered for the Barcelona job. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
No member of the board of directors, nor of the sporting management, nor the professionals who make up the technical secretariat have shown the slightest interest in the coach.
And the reason for that is clear: he does not have the profile to lead Barça. His tactical philosophy does not fit in with what is being sought. He has no Barça DNA.
Instead, it is being suggested that Conceicao has been using Barcelona’s name to try and position himself for a bigger job outside Porto once the season is over.
What about Barcelona?
While a host of names have been linked with the Barcelona job, the current priority for Laporta & co. seems to be to convince Xavi to stay.
Since announcing his exit in January, Xavi has led the team on an 11-game unbeaten streak, making it to the UCL quarterfinals and rising to second place in La Liga.
The club administration believes he is the right man for the job and is trying to persuade him to stay, although the manager has appeared reluctant to change his mind.
