Mikel Arteta is odds on with one bookmaker to replace Xavi at Barcelona.
Following the confirmation that Xavi will leave Barcelona at the end of the season, Mikel Arteta has become the odds-on favourite with Sky Bet to take over in Catalunya.
A 5-3 defeat to Villarreal at their home stadium left them 10 points off the La Liga leaders.
The former Barcelona and Spain midfielder took charge in November 2021 and guided Barcelona to the La Liga title in his first full season.
However, this campaign has been a challenging one for Barca and he has decided to vacate his position at the end of the season. They went out in the Copa del Rey to Athletic Bilbao and also lost to rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup.
Who is the favourite to replace Xavi at Barcelona?
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been given a 25% chance of replacing Xavi as Barcelona manager, according to the best price on offer through Sky Bet.
Mikel Arteta, who came through the famous “La Masia” youth academy at Barcelona, has long been touted as a contender for the role.
At Arsenal, he has guided them to a FA Cup in his first season, and has taken Arsenal back into the Champions League for the first time since Arsene Wenger left the club in 2018.
Reports in Spain has suggested that Arteta is set to leave Arsenal at the end of the season, but fresh reports this morning have questioned the credibility of these rumours.
With Arteta the favourite, but no concrete evidence that he will take the Barca role, who are the other managers in the running according to the latest next Barcelona manager odds?
Next Barcelona Manager Odds
| Name | Best Price | Worst Price |
|---|---|---|
| Mikel Arteta | 3/1 | 1/2 |
| Rafael Marquez | 6/1 | 10/3 |
| Jurgen Klopp | 9/1 | 5/1 |
| Hansi Flick | 10/1 | 6/1 |
| Jose Mourinho | 12/1 | 7/1 |
Rafael Marquez
Rafael Marquez, also a former Barcelona player, is the second favourite for the role. He is currently managing the Barcelona B team and so it would make sense to promote him to the first team.
Under Marquez, Barcelona B are currently 6th in the Spanish Primera Federacion, the third tier of Spanish Football. Marquez played 163 times over a seven-year stay at Barcelona as a player.
He won the league title four times as well as the Champions League twice with Barca. He is a best price of 6/1 on Sky Bet to take the main job but can be found as short as 10/3.
Jurgen Klopp
The soon to leave Liverpool manager has shaken up English football with news of his departure at the end of the season. He has stated in various interviews he does not necessarily wish to join another club as of yet, but that has not stopped his name being put into the managerial vacancy hat.
Klopp is a best price of 9/1 on Paddy Power to become the next permanent Barcelona manager, but can be found as short as 5/1.
For the latest next Liverpool manager odds, click here.
Hansi Flick
Next up on the list is former Bayern Munich and Germany manager Hansi Flick (10/1 bet365).
Flick was the manager in charge of Bayern during their 2019/20 Champions League success, beating Barcelona 8-2 en route to that final.
He was sacked following their disappointing World Cup campaign and damaging defeats in the international games following that, with Euro 2024 on the horizon in their home country. Despite that, Flick is a best price of 10/1 to become the next Barcelona manager and can be found as short as 6/1.
Jose Mourinho
The former Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United manager comes in to the list at a best price of 12/1 on BetVictor. He would become just the third manager to manage both Barcelona and Real Madrid during their careers, after Enrique Fernandez and Radomir Antic.
Despite that, it would seem very unlikely that Mourinho would be welcomed in Spain. Him and Pep Guardiola clashed during their period together in Spain after having knocked Barca out of the Champions League in 2010 with Inter Milan, which sparked intense celebrations from the Portuguese manager.
Mourinho was recently sacked as Roma manager after guiding them to back to back European finals in the Europa Conference League and Europa League.
They were sitting in ninth at the time of his departure, and Barca fans would consider Mourinho to be a less desirable option in comparison to those above him.
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