Leeds United director of football Victor Orta reportedly travelled to Spain last in order to progress talks with Rayo Vallecano boss Andoni Iraola.
Leeds are gearing up for tonight’s meeting with Manchester United without a permanent manager as Jesse Marsch’s sacking leaves Michael Skubala in charge of the squad.
The search for a new boss is underway, though, with Leeds pushing to secure an agreement very soon.
This race to appoint someone is clearly being fast-tracked by Leeds to give the new man the best chance to hit the ground running with more important fixtures coming up.
The Athletic had reported that Leeds were keen admirers of Rayo Vallecano boss Andoni Iraola, with his side moving up to fifth in La Liga on Monday night.
Now, the Daily Mail are reporting that Leeds’ push to seal this agreement has seen Victor Orta fly to Madrid in order to pursue talks further with the 40-year-old on Tuesday:
“Director of football Victor Orta was understood to be in Madrid on Tuesday evening as part of a Leeds delegation hoping to persuade Iraola to succeed Jesse Marsch. The move came after Corberan opted to stay at West Bromwich and sign a new long-term contract.”
While Leeds are hoping to get this deal over the line, they are keeping their options open in case of a collapse, with Feyenoord’s Arne Slot a fall-back option.
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What is very encouraging for Leeds is that every option that has been credibly mentioned thus far is definitely a good appointment.
All appear to have the philosophy needed to improve this group of players, with their gives styles of play.
It’s also good to see how quickly we are pressing on with these efforts to strike an agreement.
Iraola would be my top choice, and it seems that Orta is feeling that way too, having liked what he’s seen from the former Bilbao captain during his managerial career.