Report: Victor Orta has held talks with manager who loves a cup run

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According to The Mail, Victor Orta, the Sporting Director of Leeds United, travelled to Madrid on Tuesday to hold talks with Andoni Iraola.

Iraola is currently the manager of Rayo Vallecano, and he currently has the Spanish club performing above all expectations as they currently sit fifth in La Liga.

At the age of just 40, Iraola is quickly establishing himself as one of the top young managers in Europe.

Leeds United are on the hunt for a new manager, following the recent sacking of Jesse Marsch, and it’s believed that Iraola is one of the leading candidates for the job. The Yorkshire Evening Post has reported that the interview process is already underway and that the top candidates for the role are all currently in work – suggesting that Iraola is amongst the frontrunners.

Iraola has had a remarkably successful career in Spain to date. Not only has he taken Vallecano to fifth in La Liga, he took them to the semi-finals of the Copa Del Rey. While he also took second-tier, Mirandes, to the same stage back in 2020.

The Whites are looking to make a quick appointment and it’s been reported by the YEP that the club want to announce their new manager before Sunday’s game against Manchester United.

Iraola isn’t the only candidate being mentioned at the moment though.

Arne Slot, the current manager of Feyenoord, has also been linked to the Leeds United managerial role. Slot has had a successful stint at Feyenoord, leading them to the top of the Eredivisie and guiding them to a European final last year.

It will be interesting to see if talks are held with Slot at some point, but with Orta heading to Madrid to chat to Iraola, the Dutchman may not be the favourite for the job at the moment.

It remains to be seen what direction Leeds go in and there’s currently no indication of whether or not these talks went well or not, but after Andrea Radrizzani promised a quick resolution to this managerial search on Twitter, the clock is ticking for Leeds to make a new appointment.