Leeds United still wanted appointment before clash v Everton after Alfred Schreuder U-turn
The Telegraph’s Jason Burt has revealed Leeds United were looking to end their manager search before the Everton fixture despite dropping a move for Alfred Schreuder.
The former Ajax boss was in attendance at Elland Road for the Whites’ Premier League defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.
However, after holding talks, the board decided to move on and the Telegraph journalist has claimed Leeds were still looking to make an appointment before their trip to Goodison Park
“Despite dropping Schreuder on Monday, the word was that Leeds were still determined to end their search in time for Saturday’s crucial relegation battle against Everton,” wrote Burt (The Telegraph, pg. 5, 15 February).
“By Tuesday, the club said that Skubala would remain in charge for the forthcoming fixtures and, after Everton, Leeds face Southampton, who had planned to bring in Jesse Marsch before talks broke down.”
Farce
A farce is probably the right word to use when summing up Leeds’ manager hunt. The board clearly thought appointing one of their first-choice candidates would be a fairly simple task.
Either the decision-makers at Elland Road haven’t offered the right terms to potential candidates, or the managers they’ve been after have been reluctant to move to the Premier League. The Whole situation has been frustrating for the fans and the board, and it doesn’t appear to be any closer to a resolution.
Michael Skubala being given the reins for the coming fixtures will steady the ship somewhat, and buy the club a bit of time to take stock of where they’re currently at. But, heading into fixtures against Everton and Southampton without a proven head coach is slightly concerning.
This weekend’s fixture against Leeds has a season-defining feel to it. The trip to Goodison Park is a must not lose for Skubala’s men. They sit just one place and one point above their hosts and will drop into the bottom three with a defeat.
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