Rafael Márquez has late tonight spoken out over the prospect of taking up the reins of the Barcelona first-team.
The subject of the bench in Catalunya’s capital has of course returned to the forefront of the headlines in a major way on Saturday.
This comes after Barca head coach Xavi dropped something of a bombshell, in confirming his intention to step down upon the season’s close.
After overseeing another damaging defeat, on this occasion by five goals to three at the hands of Villarreal, the Spanish tactician made use of his ensuing press conference to break the news:
“I want to announce that on June 30 I will no longer continue as the coach at Barça. I think the situation needs to change course, and as a culer, I cannot allow the current situation.”
So, the question, of course, now becomes just who exactly is in line to replace Xavi on the touchline at Barcelona?
A whole host of coaches are no doubt set to be tipped for the post over the weeks and months ahead, from Jürgen Klopp to Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta.
Could Joan Laporta and co. yet look closer to home once more, though?
Speaking to the media on the back of news of Xavi’s impending departure being made official, Rafael Márquez, the current manager of Barcelona Atlètic, was drawn on the possibility of replacing his former Blaugrana teammate as the man overseeing the first-team setup.
And Márquez was not shy in confirming his willingness to make the jump, responding:
“If I get the opportunity, I’m not going to say no.”
Conor Laird | GSFN
