Emmanuel Petit Exclusive: Barcelona's two best managerial candidates are Spanish - but unlikely to join

Ever since Xavi Hernandez announced that he would be stepping down as Barcelona head coach at the end of the season, attention has turned to who his possible successor could be. So many names have already been linked, although Sporting Director Deco is currently in no rush to finalise an appointment.

Reports suggest that a more experienced coach is wanted, someone that is able to handle the pressure of managing one of the biggest clubs in world football, and one that generates plenty of scrutiny from fans and the media alike. With this in mind, a few key candidates have emerged.

Hansi Flick looks to be the leading candidate at this moment, and he has edged slightly closer to the role in recent days. Equally, the likes of Thomas Tuchel and Jurgen Klopp have also been touted, although they are not as well placed.

Former Barcelona midfielder Emmanuel Petit has spoken exclusively to Football España to give his thoughts on who should be the successor to Xavi.

“There are some big name managers on the market at the moment. You have Flick, Mourinho, Conte, Klopp. I would say that Klopp is definitely the best solution for Barcelona, but he’s taking a sabbatical. He’ll take months to recharge – I love Klopp, he’s always honest and he gets straight to the point.”

While Petit listed several high profile and experienced managers, he actually believes that Barcelona should look to appoint a younger coach, someone that can look to build a project. He outlined two key candidates, although he (biasedly) prefers one more than the other.

“Since it won’t be Klopp, for me there are only two options. One of them is forbidden (to me), and that’s Arteta – he has to stay at Arsenal. I think his story there is no ending yet, he has so much more to