Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has been linked with the Leeds United job after Jesse Marsch was sacked yesterday.
The Scottish Sun has revealed that “Postecoglou has been installed as one of the early favourites to replace Jesse Marsch at Leeds United.”
Postecoglou already has the backing of former Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson. “I personally would love to see Postecoglou come down from Celtic. They have to get somebody who hits the ground running,” Robinson told The Sun.
Would Postecoglou be a good fit for Leeds?
The Australian is currently doing very well at Celtic. The Hoops look set to win the Scottish Premiership for the second time in a row under Postecoglou, as they are currently nine points clear of Rangers.
Part of Postecoglou’s coaching staff is fellow Aussie and former Leeds star Harry Kewell. If Kewell can follow him to Elland Road then he will be a great asset as he knows the club very well. Kewell was a Leeds player from 1996-2003 and scored 61 goals and 234 appearances. He has also managed in England with spells at Crawley Town, Notts County, Oldham Athletic and Barnet before becoming the first-team coach at Celtic.
For our assessment of Marsch’s sacking, click here.
Postecoglou is yet to manage in England. He started his managerial career with South Melbourne which was the club he played for. This followed spells with Australia’s U17s and U20s. He then returned to club football and spent time with Panachaiki in Greece where he was born. Postecoglou then returned to Australia and managed; Brunswick Zebras, Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory before taking charge of their national team.
With Australia, he coached them at the 2014 World Cup and helped them qualify for the tournament in 2018 before resigning. Postecoglou then went to Yokohama F. Marinos and won the J-League before moving to Celtic.
The relegation battle that Postecoglou would face if he was to take the Leeds job would be a World away from what he has been used to in Scotland. It would be tough to walk away from a club that is likely to win the league but the lure of competing in the Premier League turn his head.
Who are the other contenders for the Leeds job?
Carlos Corboran is another option. The Spaniard is doing very well at West Bromwich Albion at the moment and knows Leeds as he was their U23s coach under Marcelo Bielsa.
Another name mentioned is Andoni Iraola whose Rayo Vallecano’s side is an impressive 5th in La Liga.
Right now Leeds is preparing for their fixture against Manchester United on Thursday night. They have Chris Armas, Michael Skubala and Paco Gallardo in charge. Armas only joined Leeds in January as an assistant coach. Skubala had been their U21s coach and is better known in the sport of Futsal, as he was England’s manager. Gallardo was his assistant with Leeds’ u21s.
Whoever Leeds decides on will have a very tough job on their hands. They are currently out of the relegation zone and have a game in hand. However, they have a very tough run of games and need a manager who can deliver a much-needed bounce.