Xavi Hernandez may have been delayed from arriving on Barcelona’s preseason tour in the United States of America, but it is very clear that he means business now that he has.
Upon arriving, Xavi held a meeting with the Technical department in order to discuss the futures of Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay. The result of which is that Xavi will speak to the two Dutchmen in the coming days to find a resolution.
According to Sport, Xavi was also clear with the hierarchy: he wants the players left behind gone. Five players, Martin Braithwaite, Samuel Umtiti, Oscar Mingueza, Riqui Puig and Neto, remain in Barcelona. They were left off the tour in the hope it would force a move.
With no concrete offers for any of them, after Neto rejected Celta Vigo, it looks unlikely that all five will be gone when Barcelona return in 11 days time. Yet Xavi has insisted that he doesn’t want them there when they do so as to avoid training with an oversized squad. The club may even consider terminating the contracts of Umtiti and Braithwaite if they cannot be moved on.
It seems a tough job to move the players on and the fact of the matter is, Barcelona have made several attempts at moving some of them on already. Their inflated wages are the unavoidable legacy of mismanagement, which has led to the current situation.
