31 May 2023 , 19:29
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Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez has opened up on the difficult conversations which led to club legends Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba leaving the Camp Nou.
The two long-serving defenders have been moved on as part of a squad overhaul – with Pique having retired in November and Alba leaving at the end of the campaign – alongside club captain Sergio Busquets, who is departing as a free agent this summer.
Pique had fallen out of favour under Xavi, following last summer’s signings of Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen with younger players Ronald Araujo and Eric Garcia also enjoying more prominence in the line-ups in recent times.
The former Manchester United defender had been one of the club’s highest earners despite accepting multiple salary deferrals and reductions in the past few years, as he is said by Sport to an earn a substantial £46million in an annual wage – including wage deferrals. The 35-year-old had two seasons remaining on his contract, which had not been due to expire in the summer of 2024.
"When you have to make decisions which are not what the players want, it gets difficult," Xavi told Catalan media outlet TV3, when recounting his former teammate’s exit. "I had to tell Pique to step to the side, that he would play less. I even struggled to sleep, because we had enjoyed so much together."
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Alba has also been confirmed to be leaving the club this summer having fallen behind Alejandro Balde and Marcos Alonso in the pecking order. As with Pique, he was a high earner and had been set to remain for a further season – with Xavi claiming the player was initially angered by the situation.
Xavi and Pique are said to have bickered in the dressing room with the defender's minutes limited (Eric Alonso/Getty Images)Have Your Say! Would any Barcelona players be a good fit in the Premier League? Tell us what you think here.
"With Jordi, you have the feeling that you're letting him down as a friend, but you have to prioritise the team," Xavi explained. "It happened to me with Luis Enrique, you don't get it because after so many years as a regular, you feel you should be playing.
"Jordi was angry, which is understandable. But after, there was a group chat and he told us he was 100% committed. And he was, just as Pique was. They picked the right moment to leave."
Pique, Alba and Busquets are among an expected glut of exits from the Camp Nou this summer with the club desperate to slim down their wage bill and raise transfer fees to ease their precarious financial situation and allow them to register new contracts this summer.