Leeds United are reportedly keen on landing Victor Orta.
General view inside Elland Road
Leeds United are set for another new era, after manager Garry Monk shockingly handed in his resignation on Thursday afternoon.
Monk leaves Elland Road after just one year in the job, deciding to move on despite finishing seventh in the Championship table, and despite the club’s attempts to keep him for at least another year.
Leeds United manager Garry Monk
Monk’s exit means Leeds are yet again looking for a new manager, but the Yorkshire Evening Post also claim that owner Andrea Radrizzani wants to bring in a technical director.
The leading contender for the managerial job, according to the Daily Mail, is ex-Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka, with fellow Spaniard Victor Orta the favourite to become the club’s technical director.
Orta worked alongside Karanka at Middlesbrough, and whilst his transfer record at the Riverside Stadium was patchy, he could earn a move to Elland Road having left Middlesbrough earlier this week.
Alvaro Negredo of Middlesbrough
Formerly of Elche and Sevilla, Orta worked to bring compatriots such as Victor Valdes, Antonio Barragan, Adama Traore and Alvaro Negredo to Middlesbrough, which could be a feature of his policy should he move to Leeds.
However, Orta told The Gazette in November 2016 that the focus for all English clubs should be on producing young talent, noting that Southampton are the ideal model for an English side – and that should be ideal for Leeds.
“It takes many years to implement a system,” said Orta. “I think the English clubs should focus on the production of talent in order to meet quotas and not have to rely on the domestic market – as it’s so difficult. Southampton is the best case. Create, sell, rebuild – it is a worthy case study. The greatest talents of English football this century are out of there,” he added.
General view inside St Mary’s Stadium
Leeds are one of the few clubs in England who have a youth academy to rival Southampton, with the likes of Sam Byram, Charlie Taylor, Kalvin Phillips, Ronaldo Vieira and Lewis Cook coming up through the ranks in recent years.
Orta’s hopes to replicate Southampton’s success – generating homegrown talent whilst adding smart signings in the transfer market – mesh perfectly with what Leeds have right now, and whilst his record at Middlesbrough was far from stellar, it could be a smart move for the Whites to land Orta this summer.
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