Leeds Must Appoint 40 y/o Championship Coach

Leeds United are reportedly set to enter the final stages of their manager search this week and appointing the right man for the job will be essential in the club’s pursuit to make an instant bounce back to the Premier League.

The Whites dropped back down into the Championship after suffering relegation on the final day of their 38-game campaign under Sam Allardyce’s management and will now need to show strong resilience as they battle in the second tier to emulate Burnley’s achievement of earning a return to the top flight in just one season.

Following a takeover, the 49ers will be working hard to make their first hugely important move to appoint a manager which will likely represent the first impression they give to the Elland Road faithful, so there is a lot of pressure riding on acquiring the right manager.

Daniel Farke, Scott Parker and Carlos Corberan were named by The Telegraph as short-listed contenders for the role last week, whilst speculated candidate Brendan Rodgers has now agreed to reunite with Celtic – thus whittling down the options available.

Marcelo Bielsa’s former assistant, Corberan, would likely be the most favoured option for many Leeds supporters this summer as the manager is extremely familiar with the club culture and has already built relationships with many members of the squad.

Now the West Bromwich Albion boss could offer his former club a great asset this summer beyond his experience at the club, with his midfielder, Jayson Molumby, a potential transfer target for the West Yorkshire club this summer.

Should Leeds appoint Corberan?

Since leaving Leeds in 2020 to manage local rivals Huddersfield Town, the Spanish coach has gone from strength to strength in his step-up to first-team managerial roles.

Corberan – lauded for his “unbelievable desire” by West Brom chief Ian Pearce – famously led the Terriers to the Championship play-off final last summer against Nottingham Forest during his first season in charge but just fell short of promotion at Wembley Stadium, before a fleeting 11-fixture spell at Olympiacos.

Now the 40-year-old is delivering his attacking-minded philosophy in the Midlands with West Brom and since his arrival in October has transformed the club’s fate from relegation contenders under Steve Bruce to finishing just three points shy of a play-off place last season – collecting 56 points, 17 wins and five draws over 33 games in charge.

Should the 49ers be able to convince Corberan to reunite with Leeds this summer, it could not only be a huge asset to improving the consistency of the attacking presence at Elland Road, but he could also bring Molumby with him.

The 23-year-old midfielder – hailed “very ambitious” by Graham Potter – has thrived under the Baggies boss; scoring four goals, registering four assists and tallying up an 86% pass completion rate over 43 league appearances, making him an ideal prospect to bolster the presence in Leeds’ midfield ahead of next season.

With that being said, if Leeds can secure the signatures of both Corberan and Molumby this summer it would be a real statement of the 49ers ambitious intent to get the club back in the Premier League and playing attractive attacking football once again.