Xavi Pascual’s second stint on the Barcelona bench could come to a dramatic end after just a few months. The coach from Gavà, who returned to the Palau last November with the aura of a savior after a two-year title drought, is reportedly already on his way out due to his deep dissatisfaction with the club’s management of the basketball section. This is the rumor reported by Mundo Deportivo; let’s break down the reasons (also reported by the Spanish media outlet).
Everything suggests that, at the end of the current season, the coach will trigger his €300,000 release clause, deciding not to fulfill the remaining two years of his contract. Several EuroLeague clubs already have him on their radar, with Dubai Basketball in pole position, followed by interest from Panathinaikos and Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Pascual had accepted the job in November despite many doubts about the inherited roster, giving his approval only after the club agreed to two specific conditions: signing a new center starting in January and bringing in a quality replacement in the event of serious injuries. These promises turned out to be hollow: the desired reinforcement under the basket never arrived, and the club failed to cover any of the heavy absences that hit the team (including Laprovittola, Clyburn, Vesely, and Satoransky).
For the future, the coach had requested the inclusion of an “emergency fund” for injuries in the budget, to be financed without reducing resources for new signings but rather by deferring payments on some existing contracts. Barça’s response, after a couple of unproductive meetings, was limited to a vague “we will do what we can,” providing no real guarantees. Pascual, who demands a project to aim for a EuroLeague title and not just to compete, has thus lost all faith in the management’s promises.
What definitively compromised the relationship was the transfer market behind-the-scenes revelation that Barcelona had negotiated behind Pascual’s back with Ibon Navarro, the current Unicaja coach, to secure him as a potential replacement. This was a move with which the club wanted to protect itself against Dubai’s strong pursuit of Pascual, but one that deeply hurt the coach who led the club to the EuroLeague title in 2010 (although the club sought to deny any interest in Navarro through an official statement).
Commenta
Visualizza commenti