It appears that Claudio Ranieri will not be the next Leeds United boss if his agent’s comments are anything to go by
Claudio Ranieri was linked with the Leeds post
When Leeds were linked with a surprise move for Claudio Ranieri as they searched for Garry Monk’s replacement, many supporters appeared to be excited given that Ranieri was lifting the Premier League title just over a year ago.
However, it appears that the Italian will not be in the dugout at Elland Road next season with his agent telling the Yorkshire Evening Post that there is no truth in the rumours that the former Leicester City boss is a contender for the post.
While that may be a disappointment for some supporters, it could perhaps be argued that there is scope to be content with the fact that Ranieri does not appear to be the man that Andrea Radrizzani wants for the role.
Ranieri’s agent seemingly ruled him out of the running
Ranieri may have won the Premier League title with a team that no-one saw climbing the mountain, but Aston Villa fans will testify that appointing a manager who has an incredible achievement on their CV does not guarantee that they will be a success in the Championship.
This time last year, Villa appointed Roberto Di Matteo as their new boss and it appeared that everything was in place for the Villans to make an instant return to the top flight following relegation.
A vastly different squad that went down from the highest level was being led by a manager who, four years beforehand, had led Chelsea to the Champions League crown in the wake of Andre Villas-Boas’ disappointing tenure.
Champions League-winning boss Roberto Di Matteo’s Aston Villa tenure proved winning one of the game’s top trophies does not necessarily guarantee success in the Championship
However, after overseeing just one win in 12 games, Di Matteo was sacked by Villa, arguably proving that winning one of the most prestigious trophies in the game does not necessarily mean that winning promotion from the Championship will be a formality.
Of course, Ranieri’s achievement of winning the league with Leicester was more impressive than Chelsea winning the Champions League, but when you also consider that his managerial career in recent times has not been the most spectacular, appointing the Italian would have arguably been as big a gamble as targeting a less marquee name.
Perhaps Ranieri would not have been a success at Leeds
Given that many not only expected Ranieri to take Leicester nowhere near the title when he was appointed, but some also expected that he would probably be the first to be sacked that season, it is impossible to say that he could not have been a major success if he was given the Leeds job.
But with Di Matteo failing despite having won a Champions League medal and boasting one of the bigger budgets in the division last summer, it is also impossible to suggest that Ranieri would have definitely been the man to take Leeds back to the Premier League.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
