Joan Laporta spoke in a detailed interview with SPORT, during which he stressed there is no bad blood between current Barcelona coach Xavi and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
The Barcelona president suggested that the two managers have no issues in between them and stressed that they are both greats of Barcelona.
“There is no problem between the two of them and I don’t have to go into it at all. There are environments where, as they are two personalities of Barça, when you give your opinion of one it seems that you are giving your opinion of the others. They are two of Barça’s greats and a reference,” he said.
Laporta went on to state how he does not need to act as a mediator between Xavi and Pep, because the two have always shared a good relationship.
“I don’t have to act as a mediator because they always kill the messenger. I have the peace of mind that I have spoken to both and there is no problem. Guardiola has an impressive track record as a coach and Xavi is just starting out. We want Xavi to mark a splendid period at Barça,” he said.
Guardiola is arguably the best manager to have coached Barcelona before he eventually left the club more than a decade ago. Xavi used to play under him at the time and has now established himself as the undisputed leader of the Barça project.
And Laporta insisted he would welcome Guardiola with open arms, should he ever choose to return to Camp Nou in any capacity.
When asked about a potential return to Barça, Laporta said: “You should talk to Pep about that. We are focused on building a competitive team, with Xavi as coach and his staff. We are delighted with how they have fitted into the club and the atmosphere in the dressing room. Obviously, Pep can be whatever he wants to be at Barça.”
Xavi and Pep’s last meeting came almost a year ago when Barcelona locked horns with Manchester City in a charity match.