George Overhill

Mon 19 June 2023 19:10, UK

Leeds United surely now have Daniel Farke back at the top of their list of contenders for the Elland Road manager’s job after a dramatic Monday saw Andoni Iraola shoot in and back out of the race.

The former Rayo Vallecano boss, and top candidate to replace Jesse Marsch back in February, was reportedly approached in “one last push” from Elland Road [Football League World, 19 June] after the Almeria job he was tipped to land [Diario de Almeria, 12 June] went to Vicente Moreno on Saturday (17 June).

But the reaction towards the 40-year-old at Elland Road paled in comparison to the moves made at Bournemouth, where they made the “shock” decision to sack Gary O’Neil on Monday [Alex Crook, 19 June], who had steered them clear of Premier League relegation, and announce Iraola within a matter of hours.

That development emphatically ended hopes of Leeds United landing the highly-rated Spaniard at the second attempt, and put pressure on the club to seal an appointment before further drama complicates matters further.

Later on Monday an announcement came out of Hillsborough that Darren Moore had left the Sheffield Wednesday job despite getting the Owls promoted to the Championship.

Ex-Norwich boss Farke is thought to be a primary candidate for the Leeds United job having “impressed” during interviews with managers who have done well in the Championship [Phil Hay, 13 June], not least as there are also links to his former Norwich colleague Stuart Webber for the sporting director job [The Athletic, 14 June].

But after a Premier League job suddenly became available to swipe Iraola off the market, another Championship one has unexpectedly opened the same day, potentially suggesting swift moves are on the cards in Sheffield as well.

Farke’s record of twice winning the Championship at Carrow Road understandably makes him attractive to any club in the second tier, and while Wednesday may have just been promoted it would be no surprise if they had their eye on the German.

Scott Parker and Carlos Corberan have both also been mooted for Elland Road but the former’s stock has fallen after being sacked at Bournemouth and Club Brugge within a year, and the latter will require compensation to prize from West Brom.

On balance it seems Farke would logically be the number one contender for Angus Kinnear and the new 49ers regime, with Brendan Rodgers out of reach and now in place back at Celtic Park.

The manager market is moving fast, with options now quickly being snapped up, so the Whites clearly cannot afford to take their time if Farke is their man.

In other Leeds United news, the club are in transfer talks to sell a key attacker and fan-favourite to an English struggler.