Next Leeds United manager odds: Bielsa latest, only three candidates even close

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Leeds United sacked Paul Heckingbottom last Friday afternoon.

Leeds United are once again looking for a new manager having decided to part ways with Paul Heckingbottom last Friday, less than four months after appointing him.

The Whites were in a similar position last summer after seeing Garry Monk leave the club, and replacement Thomas Christiansen started well before fading away, eventually being sacked in February.

Owner Andrea Radrizzani swooped for Barnsley boss Heckingbottom just days later, but with just four wins in 16 games, he failed to convince fans and clearly didn’t convince Radrizzani, as he met his end at Elland Road on Friday.

Leeds fans are all too familiar with checking bookmakers’ odds for their new manager, and here are some of the main names in the frame for the Elland Road hot seat this evening.

Marcelo Bielsa is the remarkable favourite for the job at just 1/4 with Sky Bet, with the Argentinian clearly leading the race to replace Heckingbottom in what would be a staggering move from the Whites, and BBC Sport report that further talks are imminent.

Bielsa, 62, may be a controversial and enigmatic figure, but he brings huge experience and tactical nous on both the international and the domestic stage, and has been out of work since leaving Lille in December after just five wins in 19 games.

Bielsa is the clear favourite right now, and only three other managers even come close. Claudio Ranieri is down to 7/2 with Sky Bet having left Nantes, and he possesses similar experience to Bielsa, with Leeds potentially interested given that he is available for nothing this summer.

The shock name in the frame in recent days is Uruguayan boss Gustavo Munua. A former goalkeeper in his playing days, Munua is currently in charge of Deportivo B, and the 40-year-old has also had spells with Nacional and LDU Quito, with Paddy Power now pricing him at just 15/2 for the Leeds job.

Finally, Paddy Power also have boyhood Leeds fan Mick McCarthy in at 8/1, with the veteran boss available after leaving Ipswich Town earlier this year. No other candidates are even close right now, and whilst it appears to be BIelsa’s job to lose, Ranieri, Munua and McCarthy remain names to keep an eye on.