By DAN KARELL
New York City FC’s chances of signing Barcelona midfielder Xavi now seem to be done and dusted.
Newspaper Diario AS reports that Xavi has agreed to join Qatari club Al-Sadd, the former club of National Team teammate Raul, on a three-year contract worth €30 million overall. In addition to playing for Al-Sadd, Xavi would also act as a “consultant” for the Aspire Academy, which attracts youth players from around the world to its academy.
On Wednesday, NYCFC head coach Jason Kreis said that he’d love to have Xavi on his team, but essentially poured water on the Spanish midfielder coming to NYCFC any time soon.
“This is always difficult because when you think about a player like Xavi Hernandez, for me, one of the (best) players in the world ever, you say to yourself on one side that there’s no doubt that a player like that will be great at New York City,” Kreis said. “But when you look at it from another view and say you only got three of these (DP spots), and you already got another one that plays in the midfield (Lampard) and you got a third one in David Villa, whose all relative age are getting up there, you start to think, maybe not.
“I’m a huge fan of Xavi Hernandez. I think he would be a huge player in this league, no doubt about it,” Kreis said. “But positionally, I don’t think that it makes the best sense and the most sense.”
Last summer, Xavi was very close to signing with NYCFC before a phone call from Barcelona coach Luis Enrique convinced him to stay. Xavi also had a pair of clubs in Qatar interested in him prior to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but Spain’s disastrous showing in the tournament saw those clubs withdraw their offers.
Xavi, 35, has adjusted to a part-time role with Barcelona this season. So far he’s started just 14 times in La Liga and just twice in UEFA Champions League action.
If Xavi does indeed move to Qatar this summer, his chances of moving to NYCFC one day become very slim, due to his age. NYCFC still have one Designated Player spot available, with David Villa and Frank Lampard occupying the first two.
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What do you think of this report? Do you see Xavi moving to Qatar? What does this mean for NYCFC moving forward?
Share your thoughts below.
Good. MLS shouldn’t get into a bidding war with Asian teams.
Anyway, centrelmidfield for New York is already filled
Xavi is superb player with a glittering CV but not the sort of guy I’d like to see MLS sign as a DP. DP signings, in my view, should be guys MLS teams can count on to give 3-5 years of solid contribution to the league. Xavi has maybe 1-2 years left. Let him go to Qatar.
Well good for him I guess. That’s crazy money.
Wonder if they will shred his passport so he can’t leave too. Not a good fit for NYCFC anyway, nor for MLS, he’s too old and not physical enough at this stage IMO.
Did you guys hear about this Zardes to Real Madrid rumor?
There’s a layover in Madrid on the way to Switzerland?
Actually he played RM (right midfield) yesterday. That was not a rumor. It actually happened. 🙂
He didn’t want to play in a baseball stadium?
Instead he wants his passport confiscated. That’s cool.
No great loss. One of the best from this generation but he’s already 35 and is declining pretty quickly. MLS clubs would do well to focus on slightly younger DPs who’ll be around a little longer.
Admitted buddy, red bull could have giving him some good money, free housing, a private driver, but no, red bull are getting who?
Not only red bull but some other MLS team could have at least made an offer.
He can easily play 2 more years and what if he quit barca or left barca this year after winning the league or champions.
Xavi could have been here in the summer.
Sure, he’s better than the guys RBNY have but if they’re going to pay someone ten million euros a year (about $11m) they can get someone better than the 2015 version of Xavi. For perspective, that’s more than anyone in Serie A makes, including Paul Pogba for instance, who’s arguably the best midfielder in the world right now.
sure red bull could do that and Xavi was and is still great and its important if you have player like that to build the team around them. I’d rather spend NYRB money for someone 10 years younger or slightly less talented that fits better.
You could sign two DPs for the price Al Sadd is going to pay him.