Former FC Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernández has revealed that he requested the membership’s hierarchy to signal midfielder Martín Zubimendi in the course of the participant’s time at Actual Sociedad, however the request was rejected attributable to monetary issues.
The revelation was shared in feedback reported by switch journalist Fabrizio Romano on his official X deal with. Talking to La Vanguardia, Xavi defined that Barcelona selected to not pursue the Spain worldwide regardless of the membership needing a substitute for long-time midfielder Sergio Busquets.
Romano publish:
Xavi: “I requested Barcelona administration to signal Martin Zubimendi, they instructed me NO”. “It was a monetary resolution, they signed a less expensive choice. However we misplaced Busquets… and I mentioned: however how’s attainable [we can’t get Zubimendi]?”, instructed La Vanguardia.
In line with Xavi, the Barcelona board finally refused to proceed with the switch regardless of the participant being recognized as an ideal successor to Busquets within the defensive midfield position.
Softfootball gathered that Zubimendi was nonetheless taking part in for Actual Sociedad when Xavi pushed for the transfer, believing the Spaniard possessed the positional intelligence and technical high quality required to anchor Barcelona’s midfield after Busquets’ departure.
Nevertheless, Barcelona’s monetary restrictions on the time reportedly prevented the deal from advancing. The membership as an alternative checked out extra inexpensive alternate options as they tried to handle strict spending limits.
Zubimendi ultimately left Actual Sociedad in 2025 to affix Arsenal, the place he has shortly turn out to be an vital participant underneath supervisor Mikel Arteta. His composure on the ball, tactical consciousness and talent to regulate the tempo of matches have made him a key determine in Arsenal’s midfield setup.
Xavi’s feedback come shortly after he additionally claimed that Barcelona president Joan Laporta was liable for blocking the return of Lionel Messi to the membership in 2023. In line with Xavi, Messi’s return to Camp Nou after Argentina’s World Cup triumph had already been agreed in precept earlier than Laporta halted the deal.
Messi had initially left Barcelona in 2021 following the collapse of contract negotiations and later joined Paris Saint-Germain earlier than transferring to Inter Miami CF in 2023.
