According to the Guardian, a Leeds United delegation returned from Madrid empty-handed after failing to persuade Rayo Vallecano coach Andoni Iraoloa to become the club’s new manager.
Following the dismissal of Jesse Marsch on Monday [6 February], the Whites are looking for a new manager. and the well-known La Liga coach emerged as a leading candidate for the Elland Road managerial vacancy [BBC Sport, 8 February].
“Director of football Victor Orta was understood to be in Madrid on Tuesday evening as part of a Leeds delegation hoping to persuade Iraola to succeed Jesse Marsch,” the Mail reported [7 February].
Those attempts to entice Iraola, however, were unsuccessful because the Spaniard admitted [Raul Granado, 8 February] that he would prefer to stay in Spain and continue Vallecano’s impressive La Liga progress.
According to the Guardian [9 February], the Leeds delegation returned from Madrid empty-handed, having failed to persuade Iraola to switch from Spain to West Yorkshire.
According to the report, “Iraola’s decision to stay in La Liga puts Leeds’ hopes of introducing a new manager to the Elland Road crowd – when Manchester United visits on Sunday – very much in jeopardy.”
Who is Leeds turning to now?
In the space of two days, the Whites have been rejected by all of their top managerial candidates.
First, top target Carlos Corberan turned down a return to Elland Road by signing a new contract with West Brom.
Now, Iraola, like his countryman, prefers to keep up the excellent work he is doing at his current club. Hiring managers who are currently employed is extremely difficult, as Leeds has discovered, particularly for managers with strong reputations and positions at their current employers.
Who is the Whites’ hierarchy now turning to? The club is in desperate need of a coach capable of re-energizing the squad and delivering another season of Premier League football. And getting one before Manchester United’s visit on Sunday is looking more and more unlikely by the hour.
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