Barcelona president Joan Laporta was prepared to see Xavi leave before last week's U-turn.

That's according to Okdiario's chief pundit Eduardo Inda, when speaking on El Chiringuito.

Reflecting on Xavi's decision to reverse his resignation decision, Inda said: "It was a bit of a bizarre or surreal story. Mr Laporta gave orders that Xavi be informed that he would not continue. Xavi returned from Madrid saying he wanted to continue, but Laporta did not.

"They read Xavi's primer and told him that the players complain that they don't train well, that physical preparation is bad. Players of the three expulsions and nine yellows that Xavi has received and that there is a technical body more of friends than professionals.

"Xavi then made an act of contrition with Laporta telling him that they were right and in the end Laporta tells him that since he has admitted his guilt, that Lamine (Yamal) holds you in esteem, well, he was going to continue. Deco wanted him to continue and some people from around Laporta, but Joan's idea was to remove him."