Hansi Flick has declared that Barcelona will be his “last club” as he closes in on a new contract with the Spanish giants.
The club’s newly elected president, Juan Laporta, confirmed that the 61-year-old German’s contract would be renewed as soon as possible, before Barca’s Champions League last 16 second leg against Newcastle.
Flick’s immediate focus, however, remained on guiding his team to the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite competition.
Regarding his future in the pre-match press conference, Flick said: “Now is not the time to talk about the election or anything else. We have a big game tomorrow.
“Everyone knows I’m happy here, but I also have to talk to my family. There will be time for that. I love working here. I have a wonderful family and excellent 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 discuss anything other than a crucial 90 minutes on Wednesday evening was perhaps understandable, given the difficulties the La Liga leaders endured at St James’ Park last week.
Lamine Yamal’s penalty in the sixth minute of stoppage time prevented the Magpies from arriving at the Nou Camp with a 1-0 first-leg lead, which they would have secured thanks to an impressive strike from Harvey Barnes.
Barca beat Eddie Howe’s men 2-1 on Tyneside in the opening group stage game in September, but Flick learnt enough on their return that the third leg of the competition this season could be anything but straightforward and that there was little margin for error.
He said, “They press high, they are very quick and they defend well. It will be a tough, very physical match. We will need to be close to perfect.
“The squad is highly motivated. The Champions League is special. Everyone wants to play in it, and it pushes you forward.
“We have to be positive and believe. We can win this competition, but we need every player to give their best.”
Nineteen-year-old central defender Pau Cuberci found himself in his ring at St James’, but he believes the hosts can cause more problems on their pitch in Howe, where they have won all 12 games since returning to the venue, which is still being redeveloped.
Cubbery said of Newcastle: “Their intensity on the pitch is unbelievable. We knew who we were up against in the first leg.
“Defensively we were forceful, but going forward we lacked a bit of tempo.
“They have a lot of quality, but we are focusing on ourselves and what we can do better.”
