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Leeds United need to be “ambitious” in replacing Jesse Marsch as Celtic figure and La Liga jewel stand out – Our View

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The process of replacing Jesse Marsch as Leeds United head coach is well underway.

Leeds moved to sack Marsch yesterday afternoon, on the back of a 10th Premier League defeat of the season on Sunday at Nottingham Forest.

As per the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Joe Donnohue, the interview process is underway and all the candidates under consideration are still in work.

That would include the likes of Carlos Corberan and Andoni Iraola, who have been linked already, as well as Ange Postecoglou at Celtic.

Here, our writers Kris (FA5) and Alfie (N12) look at who they feel should replace Marsch:

There are a number of managers out there that Leeds need to be looking at, but the issue is that they are all in jobs.

Ange Postecoglou is a name that will be mentioned a lot this week and rightly so, as he has brought a brilliant, possession-based style of play to Celtic, which could definitely translate to the Premier League if he was the man.

However, Andoni Iraola is the stand-out for me, given how well he has performed in his first real gig with Rayo Vallecano, lifting them to fifth in La Liga last night, all with a small budget too.

An apple falling from the Marcelo Bielsa tree, Iraola would be someone the fans could easily get on board with, with how he’s aimed to set up as a manager, again playing with width in a possession-based setup.

Carlos Corberan might be the more pragmatic idea for the club, and someone that also makes sense, but Iraola sticks out in my opinion.

Who should replace Marsch long-term?

Arne Slot

Arne Slot

Andoni Iraola

Andoni Iraola

Marcelo Gallardo

Marcelo Gallardo

Other?

Other?

The club are already ticking one box in looking for a manager currently in work.

You get what you pay for in this market, as Marcelo Bielsa proved at Leeds, albeit with the spend on him coming in the form of his salary rather than buying him out of a club.

Looking at the current market, available coaches are available for a reason, with the better options in work.

Corberan is one at West Brom and a very good coach, shown with two EFL clubs in Huddersfield and West Brom. However, there’s an element of risk with him given a lack of top-flight experience.

Others mentioned like Iraola and Postecoglu feel a better fit in terms of experience, with the former currently fifth in La Liga and the latter carrying an aura about him that underlines how he can deal with the pressures a big club throws at you.

Postecoglu would probably be my preference, whilst Iraola has had a good impact in Spain and the Bielsa link makes that attractive, too. In fairness, I’m not completely against Corberan, who would improve Leeds, but just feels like someone who you’d need to think long, long-term with in case he can’t make an immediate impact.

The key thing for me, though, is that Leeds are looking to spend on this appointment and not do it cheap. Go and get the man you want, rather than the man that’s available that can do a job.

Be as ambitious as you were with Bielsa in 2018 in a bid to unlock this squad’s potential.

Quiz: Can you remember Leeds United’s last 15 results v Man United ahead of midweek clash?

1 of 15

February 2022, Elland Road?

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Leeds United Season Ticket Holder at Elland Road for over 20 seasons. Currently nestled in N12, but occasionally offering views from the press box. We’ve been through it all together? You bet.