Leeds United wanted to appoint Unai Emery before Aston Villa announced him first
Unai Emery was the unanimous choice for the head coach role at Leeds United if Jesse Marsch had been dismissed earlier than he was, according to a Daily Mail report [Page 70, 03 May].
The American was removed from his position at Elland Road in February this year, just a couple of weeks short of one year since he was installed as the successor to Marcelo Bielsa.
Emery was appointed manager of Aston Villa in October with great progress made at the Birmingham club, with Sam Allardyce now being instated in West Yorkshire.
Further detail was provided, including some background on the drawn-out process led by now-deposed director of football Victor Orta, leading up to Javi Gracia’s arrival in West Yorkshire.
“Unai Emery is thought to have been the unanimous choice to take over if Leeds had sacked Marsch earlier – but Emery joined Aston Villa in October,” the report stated.
“Once Marsch had been dismissed in February, Orta embarked on a shambolic pursuit of a new boss, making failed attempts to lure Andoni Iraola from Rayo Vallecano and Arne Slot from Feyenoord.
“Leeds finally plumped for Gracia, who lasted just 70 days in the job.”
Insult to injury
This report will leave Leeds fans reeling, given the opposite direction that their club and Villa have travelled in recent months.
At Elland Road, there has been further regression from the stagnant reign of former RB Leipzig boss Marsch whilst Emery has completely rebuilt his reputation in the Premier League with Villa, after a disappointing time with Arsenal.
Overall, it has been quite a drop off in terms of performances and results from the high point of Bielsa’s blistering leadership to now reaching out to Allardyce in the hope of avoiding relegation to the Championship.
It points to the fractures behind the scenes at the club, with the ongoing ownership saga waiting to be resolved.
Much of that will come down to what division the club is playing in next season, but the sooner stability can follow, the better.
Leeds United badly needs a focus and direction on the pitch, backed by sound leadership in the boardroom.
In other Leeds news, the club wants this Barcelona chief to replace Orta at the end of the season as a statement as now been released