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Leeds set to go Spanish as they near manager decision

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As Leeds’ managerial search reaches what seems to be it’s 200th week, it seems to be finally nearing a close. According to reports, Leeds will have announced their manager and preseason schedule by the end of this week and all signs are pointing to a Spanish manager. Leeds have Ivan Bravo on the board of directors, Victor Orta as director of football and they could be joined by one of Fernando Hierro, Victor Sanchez or Quique Sánchez Flores. They have differing levels of success to say the least. Hierro stepped down as Real Oviedo manager yesterday, catapulting him to the top of the betting for the Leeds job, he’s only had one season as a manager, finishing 8th in the Spanish second tier with Real Oviedo, with a record of 16 wins, 10 draws and 16 losses. Not exactly the track record we were hoping for, right? However, Hierro is a Real Madrid legend as a player, which may cloud the judgement of many.

Victor Sanchez is thought to be a backup option and looking at his record I hope he stays that way. As we wrote about here, Sanchez has a very poor record, including only lasting two games at Olympiacos. However, the most exciting option is that of Quique Sánchez Flores. Flores has had good spells as manager of many different clubs, including Atletico Madrid, where he won the Uefa cup, Valencia, where he made the quarter finals of the Champions League and Watford, where he gained a mid table finish and an FA Cup semi-final. The trouble with Flores is that he’s currently employed by Espanyol, hardly a poor job, Espanyol finished 8th in La Liga, winning 15, drawing 11 and losing 12.



Out of the three options, it’s safe to say Flores is the best option and I would personally be thrilled if he was our new manager. Whoever Radrizzani decides to appoint, it will define his time as owner, Cellino’s first appointment was David Hockaday and we all know how that went. We need promotion this season and that means a promotion-caliber manager. Let us know what you think, who do you want as the next Leeds manager?

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  • Robert Martin says:

    we will end up in league one you really cannot be serious with these options Victor Sanchez should not have been considered, Fernando Hierro not experienced enough so out of the question, Flores has to be the one out of that selection. Come on Radrizzani you are letting us down big style.

  • Bluesman says:

    According to Radrizzani, promotion within 5 years, is not exactly ambition is it, so expect someone who hasn’t got what it takes to take Leeds to the next level. Perhaps it is to do with finance or perhaps he wants it from the academy and younger players, who knows. You are right though this appointment will tell you everything that you need to know his strategy!

  • Tim says:

    i WILL BE SURPRISED IF WE GET THE ONE WE WANT OUT OF THESE THREE! IF IT’S VICTOR SANCHEZ I FEAR FOR US NEXT SEASON.
    I THINK THE FIVE YEAR PLAN COMMENT HAS BEEN MISINTERPRETED WITH REGARD TO ON FIELD PERFORMANCE AND IS MORE TO DO WITH ER AND THE TRAINING GROUND.
    WHOEVER IT TURNS OUT TO BE, JUST GET ON WITH IT RADRIZZANI ET AL NOW AS ANY MANAGERIAL DECISION CAN BE RIGHT OR WRONG.

    • FRED says:

      Unless Clotet is given the Coaches job, then Leeds will once again be back to square one and a foreign Coach, who has never managed in a rough and tough league like the Championship, is basically going in blind and he will have to learn very, very quickly, as each game goes by, because you can’t learn very much from very tame pre-season games.
      Getting to know his players is always a slow process and so is the process of finding out, just who are not good enough, because every single player will probably be given a clean slate, under a new Coach.
      I’d sooner have Clotet than a new Coach, because he knows the players already and all Leeds really needed was 7 or 8 new players, but that is being side-tracked, due to the pro-longed Coach situation.
      Don’t be surprised if the news about next seasons fixtures, is another very convenient, sidetracking excuse to get the Leeds fans to think about something else, than the slow and shambolic Coach situation.

  • rob says:

    Hierro also Director of Football at Malaga when they qualified for Champions League.So could be an interesting appointment.Mind you there will probably be a new “favourite” by teatime.

  • JDC says:

    Quique Sanchez Flores would be my first choice out of the three mentioned, and, in front of all the other outsider names that have been quoted.

    However, I wouldn’t be at all offended if the choice turned out to be Fernando Hierro … the fact that he has only managed at Real Oviedo is irrelevant, Oviedo being a modest sized city without the population of the likes of Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia etc. to support a ‘big club’. Also, we all need to remember that Garry Monk had only managed at Swansea, and many were unhappy with his appointment, preferring a ‘bigger name’. Well, as far as names in football go, there aren’t many better known than Fernando Hierro … and there aren’t many with more big club experience, so if it is Hierro, perhaps, we should be prepared to give him the same support we gave to Garry.

    In both cases, Pep Clotet should be installed as number two.

  • Damian ledger says:

    I think as I have been saying for weeks now since monk left Leeds United that I would like to see raver kranker or Alan preadrow. Or Evan that flores giving is track record.. With real Madrid and valancear. So we do need the right man in or we mite as well give it up before we Evan start.. Need a good manager. And need good players if we are to Evan thinking ov geting to premsrshipe next season.

  • Jezaldinho says:

    I think whichever gets the job (and i’m certain it’s one of the three), AR should do all he can to keep Clotet as assistant. That continuity will be crucial.

  • Sanchez Flores with Pep Clotet as assistant, experience and local knowledge to continue on from last seasons good work. Personally the thought of any of the other “candidates” raises concern to say the least. As far as players in/out, the paper talk about the standout team members from 2016/17 being on other clubs wanted lists should be treated as such. For a change please just tell them that our players are not for sale end of because otherwise how are we ever going to be successful again?

  • Neil G says:

    Please let it be Flores. I was hoping for him last time when Monk got the job, though I was also very happy to get GM. Hierro is a bit of an unknown quantity as far as management is concerned. He’s inexperienced, but he was an exceptional player, so he might just be alright. However, I, like everyone else, feel Sanchez would be a complete disaster. All I can say is that AR has to get this right, or risk losing the backing of the Leeds faithful

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