Hansi Flick has declared Barcelona will be his “last club” as he nears a new contract with the Spanish giants.
The club’s newly re-elected president, Joan Laporta, confirmed the 61-year-old German’s deal would be renewed imminently, which was confirmed before Barca’s crucial Champions League last-16 second-leg against Newcastle.
However, Flick’s immediate focus remained on guiding his team into the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite competition.
When about his future at his pre-match press conference, Flick said: “This isn’t the time to talk about elections or anything else. We’ve got a huge game tomorrow.
“Everyone knows I’m happy here, but I also need to talk with my family. There will be time for that. I love working here. I’ve got a fantastic family and great support in Barcelona.
“In football, I always aim for the highest level. I’m not thinking about leaving. Barca will be my last club.”
Flick’s reluctance to talk about anything other than a pivotal 90 minutes on Wednesday evening was perhaps understandable, given the difficulty the LaLiga leaders had at St James’ Park last week.
But for Lamine Yamal’s penalty in the sixth minute of stoppage-time, the Magpies would have arrived at the Nou Camp with a 1-0 first-leg lead, courtesy of Harvey Barnes’ strike, having turned in an impressive display.
Barca beat Eddie Howe’s men 2-1 on Tyneside in the opening game of the group phase in September, but Flick saw enough on their return to know that the third instalment of this season’s rivalry could be anything but straightforward, and that there was little margin for error.
He said: “They press high, they’re very quick and they defend well. It will be a tough, very physical match. We’ll need to be close to perfect.
“The squad is highly motivated. The Champions League is special. Everyone wants to play in it, and it drives you on.
“We have to stay positive and believe. We’re capable of winning this competition, but we need to improve and get every player performing at their best.”
Nineteen-year-old central defender Pau Cubarsi found himself in the thick of it at St James’, but he is confident the hosts can cause Howe’s side more problems on their own pitch, where they have won all 12 games since their return to the venue, which is still being redeveloped.
Cubarsi said of Newcastle: “Their intensity on the pitch is incredible. We knew what we were up against in the first leg.
“Defensively we were very solid, but going forward we lacked a bit of tempo.
“They’ve got a lot of quality, but we’re focused on ourselves and what we can improve.”
