When Leeds United parted ways with Jesse Marsch, the assumption was the Yorkshire club had a replacement lined up who would be taking over very quickly.
That’s what happened when Marsch replaced the much-loved Marcelo Bielsa, so it was natural to believe the Whites wouldn’t sack a manager midway through the season without having a firm option ready to step into the role.
As the days went on, and targets changed, it became clear that hadn’t been the case. Fortunately for Leeds United they managed to get Javi Gracia in the end, and his deal means he’s highly incentivised to make sure the club avoid relegation to the Championship.
One of the first options for Leeds United was Andoni Iraola, at one point he was odds-on favourite to take the job at Elland Road. However, Rayo Vallecano didn’t want to let him go and the Spaniard wasn’t prepared to force the issue.
Marca quote him as saying: “When you are in a team, with a contract, with games ahead and your objectives, you are not thinking about other situations. It is something that surprises you, but it is something that we already talked about in its day and it did not last very long. From there, we continue working the same.”
Asked is he’d like to manage in the Premier League, Iraola said: “I don’t know if I will have that possibility. Talking about the future is very complicated, but I do believe that this is where the money is. Sadly in football, the best players go where the money is.”
