Fabrizio Romano: Leeds United want to hire ‘young manager’ with Sam Allardyce set to leave
Leeds United are looking to hire a younger manager for next season with a long-term project in mind which will spell the end of Sam Allardyce’s brief tenure, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Whites formerly announced the sacking of Javi Gracia and hired [3 May] Sam Allardyce as his replacement for the rest of the season as they look to fight off relegation in their remaining four Premier League games.
There has been talk of Allardyce potentially getting the role on a permanent basis after this season, but should Leeds United avoid relegation, they could be looking at a more attractive name to take over the helm.
And Romano speaking on his Here We Go Podcast [9 May] claimed that Leeds United are already planning for next season with younger candidates in mind.
He said: “Discussing other clubs is early. With Leeds and many others, we have to wait until the end of the season.
“With Leeds, I am sure they are looking for a different manager, a young manager for the future.
“They have some managers in mind, but these managers are not coming now in April or in May. I don’t see Sam Allardyce staying, they will do something different.”
Difficult task
The Whites will almost certainly be on the lookout for a new manager for next season, and attracting any top name in the game will be incredibly difficult should they fail to avoid relegation.
News emerged on 9 May that Fulham manager Marco Silva is attracting interest from several Premier League sides with Leeds United namechecked as a potential suitor.
And the Portuguese coach is certainly an attractive name to the Leeds United bosses as he is a manager not only capable of transforming the club off the field but on it too.
Leeds United can only dream about appointing a manager of Silva’s ilk at the helm or any other candidate they’ve been linked with in the not-too-distant past, but their perilous position in the table right now means any plans to appoint a long-term project coach remains on the back-burner.
Allardyce seems willing to remain at Elland Road in the foreseeable future and should the Whites fall victim to another Championship campaign next year, the former England and Blackburn Rovers boss may just prove their best chance of getting back into the Premier League.
Nonetheless, Premier League safety remains of paramount importance if they are to attract a younger project-style manager. If not, Leeds United can kiss that dream goodbye.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites will be without four first-team players for their Premier League clash against Newcastle United on Saturday (13 May), according to injury expert Ben Dinnery.