“You can’t afford to lose him” – Xavi names ‘spectacular’ player who is ‘vital’ to Barcelona

Recently-appointed Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has named youngster Gavi as one of the vital players in the squad.

Xavi feels Barcelona need to make efforts to tie Gavi down to a long-term contract just like other youngsters including Pedri, Ronald Araujo and Ansu Fati. The 41-year-old tactician has stated the importance of having young players for the future of Barcelona, with Gavi being a valuable member of that brigade.

At a press conference ahead of Barcelona's trip to Sevilla FC for their La Liga clash, Xavi said:

"We hope to renew Gavi's contract, we have to make the financial efforts to keep it. He's a spectacular player on the pitch and you can't afford to lose him, like Ansu (Fati), Pedri, or Araujo. Our young players are called upon to form the basis of our team and to embody the future of Barca. I know the club are focused on renewing Gavi's contract as he is a vital player for our team."

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona are confident of extending Gavi's contract. The Catalan giants want to tie their midfield sensation down to a five-year contract.

Gavi is the latest star to come out of Barcelona's famous La Masia academy. The 17-year-old midfielder has broken into the first team this season and is a regular player under Xavi. Gavi has already made 21 appearances for Barcelona this season, scoring once and assisting thrice along the way. The La Masia graduate has featured in all six of Barcelona's Champions League group matches.

It is worth noting that Gavi's meteoric rise at Barcelona has caught the eye of Spain manager Luis Enrique as well. The young midfielder has already won four caps for the Spanish national team.

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Barcelona have been a mixed bag under the leadership of Xavi Hernandez

Barcelona have been fairly inconsistent under the leadership of Xavi Hernandez. It seems like the squad is still getting used to his style of management.

While Barcelona have picked up impressive wins against the likes of Villarreal and Elche, they have had some poor performances as well. The biggest drawback since the appointment of Xavi was Barcelona's failure to get out of their Champions League group.

The Catalan giants suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich which saw them finish third in their group. This means that Barcelona will be playing in the Europa League for the first time since the 2003-04 season. Coincidentally, Xavi played in Barcelona's last Europa League game which was against Celtic back in 2004.