When Leeds United is ready to name former Watford manager Javi Gracia as their manager, football aficionados speculate that Leeds “must desire relegation.”
The gap left by the fired Jesse Marsch has been filled by the Yorkshire giants. After their Saturday 1-0 away loss to Everton, their quest for a new manager was given more attention.
If Leeds loses against fellow relegation rivals Southampton this weekend, they will drop to the basement of the Premier League. The anxieties of many Leeds supporters have not been allayed by the anticipated hiring of Gracia, though, as the danger of Championship football becomes more real with each passing week.
According to reports from The Athletic, United will seek Gracia’s assistance in an effort to revive their precarious season. After leaving Qatari team Al Saad in June of last year, the Spaniard has been a free agent.
He does have relegation fight experience in the Premier League after joining Watford in January 2018 and keeping them in the league. Gracia led the Hornets to the FA Cup Final in 2019 as well, but he was fired four games into the following season after earning only one point.
Afterwards, he took over at Valencia, although his tenure with the Spanish powerhouse was cut short after only one season. Despite his relative success at Watford, many Leeds supporters who support their rival team believe that the thought of Gracia taking the reins at Elland Road may be disastrous.
One football fan said, “Should have retained Marsch, had more personality.” Another person chimed in, “They’ve trained for the Championship.
Another rival fan said, “They must desire relegation,” before adding, “Awful appointment, particularly when you have so many other candidates ideally fit to the post, Ralph Hasenhuttl for example,” in a tweet.
With Marsch’s resignation, Under-21s coach Michael Skubala has been serving as interim manager. When the club was unable to persuade Arne Slott of Feyenoord and Andoni Iraola of Rayo Vallecano to take over, he was appointed manager.
»Leeds United is ready to name Gracia as manager«