Speaking on his podcast, Phil Hay has been discussing Leeds’ search for a new manager and Andoni Iraola.
As we know, Leeds have been keen on Iraola over the past week, but the Whites’ approach for the Spanish manager has been blocked by Rayo Vallecano.
The Vallecano boss does, though, have a release clause, and that would be one way for Leeds to get hold of their man.
However, according to Hay, the process of activating such a release clause can be rather complicated and convoluted, so it may still be some time before we see any movement on this front.
Iraola move complicated
Hay shared what he knows about this situation.
“It sounds as though Iraola has to pay the buyout clause himself via the Spanish FA and it sounds quite convoluted and quite complicated,” Hay said.
“Even though Leeds haven’t abandoned that one completely and haven’t given up on it, it hasn’t made the progress that they have wanted this week. He is still there and you would think he’ll be there over the weekend too.
“I would suspect, and people have been saying this to us, that it’s incredibly awkward to go through that process. I think it’s emotionally awkward and confrontational as well.”
Difficult
It sounds as though this whole situation is very difficult.
As Hay says, the situation is a delicate one, and if it is indeed seen as confrontational to go and trigger a release clause, Iraola may have some reservations about doing that.
The Spaniard had a reputation during his career for being loyal to Athletic Bilbao, and he won’t want to burn bridges at Vallecano after doing such a good job.
This one isn’t dead in the water, but it sounds like there’s plenty of work to do.
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