Thiago Motta Emerges as a Top Contender for Barcelona Managerial Role

Thiago Motta has swiftly become one of the prominent names mentioned as a potential successor to Xavi Hernandez, even before the current Barcelona coach announced his decision to step down at the end of the season.

The positive impressions from his early coaching experiences and his friendship with Barcelona’s sporting director, Deco, with whom he shared the dressing room for three seasons, have placed Motta in the spotlight.

Napoli’s president, Aurelio de Laurentiis, stirred the speculation during a press conference on Wednesday, suggesting that this could be Motta’s final season in Serie A. He revealed that last summer, he explored the possibility of hiring Motta as Luciano Spalletti’s replacement, saying, “Thiago Motta was on the list of possible coaches, but last summer, I met with him for six hours in Rome, and he told me that his goal was to coach teams outside of Italy.”

Motta will become a free agent this summer as his contract with Bologna expires on June 30. If De Laurentiis’s statements hold true, the Italo-Brazilian coach will be seeking new opportunities, and this is where Barcelona comes into play.

Although the spotlight is also on Paris Saint-Germain, where Motta began his coaching career with the youth team, the arrival of Luis Enrique last summer clouds this possibility, as the Spaniard seems to have been hired for a medium-term project.

Bologna Attempts Contract Renewal Despite the growing interest, Motta is having a successful season with Bologna, currently competing for a spot in the Champions League. Consequently, the club is keen on retaining him.

During Jens Odgaard’s presentation on Wednesday, Bologna’s CEO, Claudio Fenucci, announced an imminent meeting with Motta’s representative, Dario Canovi, to resume discussions about his contract extension.

“In the coming weeks, we will meet again with his agent and see if we can make progress on his renewal,” stated Fenucci.