Leeds United must hire a progressive new boss to take them into the future…
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Pete O’Rourke issued a claim on the Whites’ managerial search that has been ongoing since Jesse Marsch’s dismissal earlier this week.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist offered a glowing endorsement for one of the names mentioned as his successor. He claimed:
“If he [Radrizzani, Leeds owner] sees Andoni [Iraola] as being the right man to take Leeds forward, he looks like an exciting young coach who has huge potential and obviously, it’s a gamble; he’s never managed in English football before.“
Having seemingly been snubbed by Carlos Corberan, who recently extended his contract at West Bromwich Albion, appointing Iraola could actually represent an upgrade on the young Spaniard due to his far greater experience at the top level.
That said, a deal might be tricky to negotiate with Fabrizio Romano claiming that he could in fact be set to stay at his current club, Rayo Vallecano.
He’s better than Corberan
Although the Baggies boss did seem like the natural fit to take the Elland Road hot seat, he must be admired for his commitment to finish what he has started in the Midlands.
Having taken over a side languishing in the relegation zone, he has quickly whipped them into promotion contenders with plenty of the Championship season to go.
Leeds are in need of a similar kickstart, but with no experience managing in any of Europe’s top five leagues, it could represent a large risk.
As a devout follower of Marcelo Bielsa, the closest he has come to such a job was assisting the Argentine in the Premier League before leaving for Huddersfield Town.
Now Victor Orta could turn his sights to another of his disciples, with Iraola boasting plenty of the same philosophies that made the 67-year-old so revered due to his time playing underneath him.
When discussing his journey into coaching, he mentioned the former Leeds boss by noting him as: “a coach, by the way, who I was lucky enough to work with at Athletic. And I say lucky because it was incredible to be with him.”
The Rayo Vallecano man employs an aggressive system which focuses heavily on using speed to counterattack with frightening precision.
But it is his unique pressing style that allows him to stand out, with his team offering a form of organised chaos that perhaps offers more defensive security than Bielsa had done.
Across his 118 games in management for the Spanish outfit, he boasts a 1.53 points per match average, which is remarkable for a team batting way above their average.
For comparison, although he has experienced relative success thus far in the Championship, Corberan can only muster 1.44 points per game from his 152 games in various jobs.
Despite having been around for slightly longer, this, partnered with the fact he is yet to manage in a league of note, suggests he might not have been as perfect as first thought.
It seems that the 40-year-old offers that little bit of extra experience, whilst his philosophy remains far more defined and amicable for the Leeds fans. As such, they must appoint Iraola.