By Katie Catherall
Barcelona club president Joan Laporta has revealed the reasons as to why he chose to appoint Hansi Flick as head coach after firing Xavi.
Flick suddenly emerged as the top candidate for the vacant Barca spot after the club made the shock decision to fire Xavi in May. He was announced as the new boss very shortly after, signing a two-year deal.
Laporta has now explained the reasoning behind Flick's hire, branding him as the 'father of a dynasty of German coaches'.
Speaking on The Presidential Podcast, Laporta said: "There have been moments in which the members have been proud of the club, like with the six leagues last year, the great attendance in Europe, the exodus to Paris.
"I didn't want to ruin the moment, I thought of Flick as the father of a dynasty of German coaches that I could not sign at the time because he accepted the German national team.
"Since Xavi said he was leaving, Hansi has been studying the squad and seeing how to use these players. When we decided that Xavi was not continuing, Deco and Bojan [Krkic] met with him. He is very excited, he is calm, responsible, mature.
"He gave us peace of mind that this is going to go well. I told him where I was coming, to a club that is more than a club, owned by its members, so that he understood our way of seeing life. He gives me a good feeling."
Barca endured a confusing manager situation throughout the 2023/24 campaign, with uncertainties regarding who would lead them forward for months. Xavi first announced in January that he would step away from the club, after battling through a tough campaign to that point amid their financial crisis and their temporary move away from Camp Nou.
Then, Xavi changed his mind and revealed he would in fact remain in charge of Barcelona, while the club voiced their confidence throughout on his U-turn.
Despite this, Barca announced the surprise sacking of Xavi in May, just weeks after reversing his decision to leave the club.
READ THE LATEST BARCELONA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
This article was originally published on 90min.com as 'Father of a dynasty' - Barcelona president explains hiring of Hansi Flick.
