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Leeds United have held talks with Steven Gerrard over the vacant managerial position, according to 90min’s Graeme Bailey.
The former Rangers and Aston Villa boss has become a viable contender for the job after leading candidates Carlos Corberan, Andoni Iraola and Arne Slot all proved to be out of reach.
He and ex-Wolves and Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo it appears are now the two primary options, with the former England captain having the added bonus of bringing Whites hero Gary McAllister with him, which Bailey believes helps his case.
Speaking on the Talking Transfers podcast from 90min (14 February, 11min 55sec) Bailey said: “There’s been talks with Gerrard, they’ve spoken to his representatives.
“The one thing Steven Gerrard has going for him… he brings Gary McAllister with him, Leeds legend, the fans’ll love him.
“Is that enough to give him the job? I think it helps. I don’t think it’s enough to win him the job overall but I think it helps.”
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Enough?
Gerrard is a Premier League legend as a player at Liverpool but his time in charge at Villa Park can’t be chalked up as anything other than a failure.
His title win with Rangers was undoubtedly an impressive achievement, but it took dispensing with his services for Unai Emery to revive Villa’s season so there are certainly big questions over whether he is the man to rescue the Whites from a relegation battle.
Fans would no doubt be happy to see McAllister in the dug-out, but that isn’t going to hold much water without performances and points to boot.
Amid the ill-fated flirtation with appointing Ajax flop boss Alfred Schreuder, and Southampton’s attempts to bring in the man Leeds United sacked last week in Jesse Marsch, the fact that struggling sides are considering managers who weren’t successful in their previous jobs shows the difficulties of replacing one at this point.
It was largely assumed when Marsch was fired on 6 February that the Whites had taken control of matters amid a big spending January, and had a plan in place at manager if the American couldn’t provide an immediate improvement with his new signings.
He couldn’t and he was let go, but it turns out there was no plan for the next step, with candidate after candidate proving impossible.
Gerrard might keep the club in the Premier League but it is a shot in the dark to assume that because he didn’t do anything at Villa to suggest he could turn around a turgid style of play or miserable run of results.
Nuno certainly looks like the more suitable option right now, but whether he would accept a short-term deal ahead of a summer revamp is another matter.
In other Leeds United news, click here to see breaking, around-the-clock updates on Leeds’ search for a new manager in our interactive live blog.
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