Following Xavi Hernández's announcement of leaving FC Barcelona at the end of the season in the summer, the Catalan club has been at the center of rumors regarding potential candidates to fill the position of the Spanish coach.

Xavi Announces Departure as Barcelona's Head Coach on June 30th

Two of the most talked-about names were former Barcelona player Mikel Arteta (current coach of Arsenal) and Thomas Tuchel (current coach of Bayern Munich). After these rumors surfaced, both parties have debunked them in different ways to secure the positions and deny the departure of their respective head coaches.

Arsenal's coach, the Spanish Mikel Arteta, ruled himself out on Monday, describing the information circulated by a Catalan media outlet as "completely untrue." The reports positioned him as Xavi's replacement, suggesting he intended to leave Arsenal.

"Me? Those are fake news. I was quite upset about what I read. I couldn't believe it, I had no sources," Arteta said in response to the text. His contract with the 'Gunners' ends in the summer of 2025, and he emphasized that he still has a lot to accomplish at Arsenal, where he has been in charge since 2019.

On the other hand, Bayern Munich issued a statement on Monday, stating that their coach, Thomas Tuchel, has not offered himself as Xavi Hernández's successor at Barcelona.

"Our coach Thomas Tuchel answered fan questions on Sunday about his experiences abroad, at PSG, and at Chelsea. He also answered questions about Spanish football," the statement reads, signed by the club's chairman of the board, Jan Christian Dreesen, and sporting director, Christoph Freund.

"At no point did he speak about Xavi Hernández and his successor, as falsely claimed. We will not tolerate further such claims against our coach, which always come from the same sector," Bayern added.