By Pranav Shahaney

7th Feb, 2023 | 8:10pm

Andoni Iraola Rayo Vallecano future up in the air amid Leeds United interest

The future of Rayo Vallecano manager Andoni Iraola is reportedly more up in the air than it’s ever been amid Leeds United interest.

According to Estadio Deportivo [7 February], the La Liga outfit do not expect him to leave but his contract runs out at the end of the season.

He was also on the shortlist to take over at Athletic Bilbao at the start of the season, but they then opted for Ernesto Valverde.

Too good to turn down?

He’s overachieving at Rayo and the fact that he’s 5th suggests that he knows how to get teams to punch above their weight.

Rayo have the fifth lowest budget in La Liga and just by that they’re expected to be in a relegation battle, rather than competing for Champions League qualification.

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The Spaniard deserves to be at a club that backs the manager as Leeds did in the January transfer window, breaking their transfer record on a 20-year-old.

If Iraola keeps Leeds in the Premier League, a takeover is most likely going to be completed in the summer and the new owners are expected to pump in more money.

He’s already shown that he can do wonders and hopefully, the Leeds hierarchy ends up picking him over the other options.

It also remains to be seen if he wants the job right now as he’s having a dream season with Rayo and may want to see how far he can take them without signing a new deal.

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.