The news of Jesse Marsch’s sacking at Leeds United, after just 12 months in charge, may not come as too much of a surprise given the desperate nature of the club’s recent results. But the timing of it could.
If the Premier League strugglers to were to hire a replacement over the next 24 hours or so, be it Carlos Corberan or another, he would face a fearsome double header with Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United; not only Leeds’ bitter rivals, but also one of Europe’s in-form sides. Not so much being thrown in at the deep end, more like being chucked out of a helicopter into the middle of the Pacific without even a raft for company.
Then again, maybe the events of late-2022 prayed on the minds of Andrea Radrizani and co. Marsch looked destined to depart following a run of four straight defeats in the autumn, before a shock win at Liverpool saved his skin.
Perhaps the Leeds bosses felt that, even if they were determined to replace Marsch, it would have been impossible to justify sacking the American if he somehow pulled off a result at Old Trafford in midweek. His sudden departure, confirmed by Leeds on Monday afternoon, ensures Leeds can avoid a repeat scenario.
Who will replace Jesse Marsch at Leeds United?
Either way, an imminent appointment feels unlikely. Beyond Corberan, who is just a couple of months into his West Brom tenure and could be rewarded with a new contract (Daily Mail), many of the coaches who have been linked with the Elland Road outfit in recent times are currently in employment elsewhere.
Ernesto Valverde is at Athletic Bilbao. Julen Lopetegui now fighting against Leeds at relegation-rivals Wolves. Diego Martinez, meanwhile, only took over at Espanyol in May. Then again, with just 18 months left on his contract and with Los Periquitos struggling towards the bottom end of the La Liga table, Martinez feels distinctly more attainable than, say, Lopetegui or Valverde.
Espanyol are 15th. Three points off the relegation zone. But, while hiring a coach with four wins in just 20 league games this season is unlikely to get the pulses pumping in West Yorkshire, the job Martinez did at Granada is proof of how effective a tactician the 42-year-old can be when given the time and the freedom to build a side in his image.
Martinez took over a Granada side 10th in the second tier in 2018. He led them to promotion during his debut season in charge. 12 months later, they finished seventh in La Liga. A year after that, Granada were taking on Manchester United in the Europa League quarter-finals. There are shades of the way Marcelo Bielsa transformed Leeds from Championship also-rans into a side capable of smashing through the Premier League’s glass ceiling.
Victor Orta and Diego Martinez; together again at Elland Road?
Leeds director Victor Orta, meanwhile, knows Martinez well from their time together at Sevilla around a decade ago. Orta’s word carries a lot of weight at Leeds. It was the Spaniard who pushed for Marsch’s arrival in February 2022. And he will play a key role in hiring the 49-year-old’s successor.
According to SuperDeporte, Orta held talks with Martinez about taking over from Bielsa midway through last season. And, if the former Middlesbrough chief was to come calling again, Espanyol would likely have a major challenge stopping Martinez’ head from turning. This is a man, after all, who has spoken in glowing terms about English football. Especially those clubs, like Leeds, who pride themselves upon ‘tradition’.
“(The Premier League is) a level above the rest,” Martinez told The Guardian in November 2021.
“When I was a kid, I would go to my cousin’s to watch the Premier League. I saw (David) Beckham from the halfway line at Wimbledon there. You think: ‘This is different, I have to experience it’.
“The atmosphere there’s unique. I was fascinated by it. In the Premier League, the Championship. The guy from Middlesbrough (Orta’s former employers) whose club is everything.
“That respect, the tradition, really left an impact. If you’re from there, maybe you don’t see it, but it’s special.”
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