Leeds United wanted Diego Martinez last year and the Spaniard now finds himself out of work after leaving Espanyol.
The Whites had a number of managers in mind as potential Marcelo Bielsa successors.
Jesse Marsch ended up being the man for Leeds but Spaniard Martinez was another name in the mix.
90Min claimed in February of last year that Victor Orta and his team really liked Martinez.
Diario de Cadiz even reported that Martinez was expected to join Leeds – but the job went to Marsch instead.
That didn’t work out too well for Leeds as Marsch was sacked inside a year, with Javi Gracia – another Spaniard – now in as his replacement.
Martinez ended up at Espanyol instead but that move hasn’t worked out either.
Saturday’s 2-1 defeat away at Girona made it four defeats in a row for Espanyol, who have now decided to sack Martinez.
Club legend Luis Garcia comes in to replace Martinez, who will now need to rebuild his reputation again.
Diego Martinez could end up back on Leeds United radar
It’s not that long ago that Martinez was one of the most exciting up-and-coming managers around.
Martinez worked wonders at Granada, guiding them up to La Liga and even into the Europa League quarter-finals.
Martinez decided to leave Granada at the end of the season and made a surprise move to Espanyol despite interest in England.
Espanyol hasn’t been an easy job for many in recent years, probably since they axed Mauricio Pochettino.
Martinez wasn’t able to reverse their fortunes and now finds himself out of work.
Leeds aren’t exactly committed to Gracia for the long-term just yet and Orta may well still be a fan of his compatriot.
We’re inclined to say that the ship has sailed on this one but you can never say never and Orta’s faith in Martinez may be in tact despite his Espanyol exit.
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