Barcelona youth coach quietly making case to replace Xavi, board values his work

As we approach the final phase of the campaign, time is slowly and steadily running out for Barcelona as they look to finalise their coach for the season ahead.

Xavi Hernandez announced he will be leaving at the end of the season, which forced the club to enter the search for a new manager.

While many internal board members are not ruling out Xavi’s stay, the club must ideally identify a replacement in order to avoid any precarious outcome in the summer.

Over the past few months, Barcelona have considered several managerial options, but the club are yet to pursue any particular candidate.

Rafa Marquez: A dark horse in the race

Amid uncertainty over Barcelona’s managerial vacancy, one candidate who may emerge as a dark horse is Rafa Marquez.

Although Marquez’s public admission of wanting to coach Barcelona was not taken well by the board, the club consider the Mexican quite highly.

That is according to Diario SPORT, which suggests that Marquez’s work at Barça Athletic is well regarded by the board, especially among Laporta’s board of directors.

Without making much noise, it seems Marquez is quietly making his case to become the next manager at FC Barcelona.

The former defender has done a brilliant job at Barça Athletic, juggling between doing well in youth competitions and nurturing young talents for the senior team. His team currently sit second in the table, one point off the top and serious contenders for promotion.

Needless to say, Marquez has excelled at both, with Barça Athletic currently on an unbeaten run of 11 matches. The Mexican tactician has been central to the development of youth prodigies such as Pau Cubarsi and Hector Fort, among others.

Although the jump to professional management will certainly be challenging, it is fair to say that Barcelona have not completely ruled out the option of Rafa Marquez, at least for now.