Leeds United’s manager search goes on, with lots of names mentioned but no sign of an appointment.
According to a report from the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani aims to have a new manager in place by 23 June.
The problem is, Garry Monk handed in his resignation on 25 May and if the Italian does take that long to announce his replacement it will be a month of confusion at Elland Road.
Not only that, it will have been one of the most important months of the year, with the groundwork for summer transfers laid and potential targets snapped up by Championship rivals.
The transfer window may not officially be open until the end of the week, but deals are already going through and talks are plentiful.
While that is the case for most clubs, Leeds are scrabbling about for a new boss and Radrizzani needs to pull his finger out.
It is one thing saying the interview process is key to an appointment, refusing to rush into a deal, and another to delay to such an extent that next season could be negatively impacted before it has even begun.
Leeds need a new manager after Monk’s shock resignation
Of course Radrizzani will be hoping to make his appointment before the players return to pre-season training. But with interviews expected to continue into next week, the lack of urgency is alarming.
Monk’s resignation may have come out of nowhere, dropping the club in it just when they were looking stable heading into 2018, but the thought of Leeds being manager-less for a full month is worrying to say the least, while it also opens the door for signings the new boss has not signed off on.
Only time will tell how damaging it is to their campaign, and Radrizzani may ultimately pull a rabbit out of the proverbial hat, but Leeds are already playing catch-up and that is one thing they did not want after coming so close last time out.
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