Arguably the biggest team in the world, but one that has had to deal with an immense amount of pressure after failing the FFP review and being forced to offload players, it comes as no surprise that Xavi has stood down, citing that the club ‘has reached a point of no return’ and even expanding to say ‘There is a lot of disrespect and it affects you, until it leads to a decision like this one.’ While recent performances have not been up to par, his first place finish in La Liga last year with a near 74% win ratio, 10 points clear of Madrid, and earlier victory in the Supercopa de España, seems to have curried little favour with the hierarchy who see this seasons performances, to date, as being far below the club’s normal level of brilliance. So with a Barcelona player and managerial legend stepping down in just a few months, it hasn’t taken long for the next Barcelona manager odds to appear on most bookies sites, with rumours swirling as to who might take on the challenge next.
An early glance at the BetVictor odds, at the time of writing, show there are 5 names heading the list, albeit several seeming more ‘well-wishing’ than realistic. Fifth in the list is the former Real Madrid, Chelsea and Roma manager, José Mourinho, who’s experience at winning La Liga, European titles and more could come in handy. At odds of 12/1* though, where a £10 bet would pay £130, perhaps his experience at dealing with clubs hampered by FFP issues (Roma) and silverware cupboard could prove a good fit here. In third equal, are Jurgen Klopp and Roberto De Zerbi at 8/1*, with a £10 wager returning £90. While Klopp’s managerial successes are easy to list, his recent interview where he stated he was standing down from Liverpool to have a more normal life, make it unlikely that he would then take on such an arduous and stressful challenge at Barca, while De Zerbi, the current manager of Brighton, has done wonderous things for the English club, but has never managed a Champions League team or taken on any club even remotely the same in stature as Barcelona. While both could prove potential wildcards, they seem unlikely for now. In second place is Hansi Flick at 6/1*, where a £10 bet would payout £70. His outstanding management at Bayern Munich between 2019-2021 saw an incredulous 81.4% win rate over 86 games, and despite a less fortuitous spell in charge of the German national team, he would undoubtedly be a strong candidate when it comes to choosing the next permanent Barcelona manager.
At the top of the list, with odds of 4/6 meaning a £10 wager would pay £16.67, is Arsenal’s very own Mikel Arteta. Despite saying he has no plans to leave the Gunners just this weekend, his Spanish heritage and constant links with La Liga teams have thrust him into the limelight here. While it would be hard to see him leaving Arsenal with their season going as well as it has so far, a Premier League title or Champions League win this season could mean he chooses to leave on a high and venture back to Spain to take on a new challenge.
While it is early days to start speculating on the Barcelona next manager odds and with a few months to go before Xavi departs the role, expect the market to keep buzzing and rumours to keep flying. While ongoing FFP investigations could hamper any newcomers role at the club, let alone Cancelo and Félix’s contracts due to expire at the end of the season weighing on their heads, all that remains to do for now is wait and see what happens next. In the meantime, feel free to check out all our other La Liga betting markets and stay tuned for more updates on the next manager news as we hear more.
*All odds are correct at time of writing and are subject to change.
