Carlos Carvalhal insists that he does not yet know if he is staying at La Liga survivors Celta Vigo as Leeds United eye up a new manager to take them back out of the Championship.
If you thought the Premier League’s final day was a dramatic one – Leeds United, Everton and Leicester City fighting to avoid the drop – spare a thought for supporters of Celta Vigo, Almeria, Real Valladolid, Getafe, Cadiz and Valencia.
No fewer than six clubs went into La Liga’s 38th matchday fearing the drop. In the end, it was Valladolid who bit the bullet; Celta Vigo trampling over their fingers and sending the Ronaldo-owned outfit into oblivion following an enthralling Gabri Veiga-inspired victory over champions Barcelona at Balaidos.
57-year-old Carlos Carvalhal, in just six months at Celta, experienced more ups-and-downs than some managers do in their entire careers. He joined the club in November and enjoyed a positive start, lifting Celta up to the brink of the European places at one point, before embarking upon a downward spiral that looked destined to result in relegation until beating Barca and saving their skins at the eleventh hour.
Will Leeds United make a move for Carlos Carvalhal?
“At this moment, it’s not clear to me if I want to stay at Celta. I don’t want to experience a situation like this next year,” a relieved and exhausted Carvalhal sighs, via Cope.
“To be at a club, I need a budget that satisfy me. For the rest, we have to talk. I don’t cling to contracts. I never have.
“It depends on objectives, the players, the conditions. And, on the contrary, if the board thinks that (my time at Celta) is over, we will solve it in a minute.”
Carvalhal is under contract until 2024.
The Sun’s Alan Nixon believes a man who took Leeds United’s Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday to the play-off final in 2016 is now on the radar of a club looking to ensure their return to the Championship is little more than a flying visit.
Leeds have also been linked with Steven Gerrard, Philippe Clement and Andoni Iraola. Though the departure of director Victor Orta raises doubts about exactly who will be calling the shots at Elland Road.
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