Leeds United have officially sacked manager Javi Gracia after just 10 weeks in charge as The Whites continue to flirt with relegation, with Sam Allardyce now confirmed as his replacement.
The Spaniard was brought in to replace former head coach Jesse Marsch, who was sacked on 6 February after less than a year in the job and leaving Leeds in 19th place in the Premier League.
Barring their 2-1 victory over fellow relegation rivals Nottingham Forest at the start of April, Leeds are without a win in their last five games — a run which has included just one draw and heavy defeats to Bournemouth, Liverpool and Crystal Palace.
With 15 goals conceded in those three games alone, there were always going to be questions over Gracia’s future, and the club confirmed his departure in a statement on Wednesday, just a day after Director of Football Victor Orta left by “mutual consent”, with Allardyce’s appointment announced simultaneously.
📰 #LUFC can confirm Javi Gracia will leave the club, with our remaining four games overseen by experienced head coach Sam Allardyce. We thank Javi and his team for their efforts under difficult circumstances.
— Leeds United (@LUFC) May 3, 2023
Although Gracia may have hay only been at the club for a relatively short time, Orta was considered a key figure in the Peacocks’ resurgence and return to the Prem during his tenure, arriving at Elland Road in 2017 after the club was bought by Andrea Radrizzani.
Having helped recruit several important players and staff over the past few years, Radrizzani said he is “deeply saddened by the way that this chapter closes”, thanking him for “some of the best moments of [his] time as owner of Leeds United”.
Nevertheless, the Italian businessman went on to admit that there is clearly a need “to change direction” and while he understands “supporters are hurt and upset”, he is calling for “unity” with what he dubbed as “four cup finals left to play this season”
The man commonly known as ‘Big Sam’ has quite the job on his hands, but it’s not like he hasn’t done it before.
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Allardyce hasn’t had a professional coaching job since 2021, when he was at West Bromwich Albion, becoming the first manager to take charge of eight different Premier League clubs.
The 68-year-old isn’t just an experienced coach and the only England manager to ever boast a 100% win record — admittedly, only lasting 67 days and playing one game before being sacked for illegal activities — but he also has a well-established track record of keeping clubs up during crunch time.
With the squad themselves issuing a statement following the recent run of results and apologising for a video of the players seemingly ignoring supporters (including one young fan), on the way out of the team hotel, they have now apologised and assured they will “keep going until the last ball is kicked”.
With just four games left to play and every point absolutely crucial to their survival, will Big Sam be the man to keep Leeds out of the drop zone?
Featured Image — Leeds United/FA TV
