Leeds are considering sacking Javi Gracia and appointing a third manager of the season after losing four of their last five games.
The club’s board are discussing the possibility of replacing Gracia, who was hired as Jesse Marsch’s successor on a “flexible contract” in February with the brief of maximising the team’s chances of avoiding relegation to the Championship. Leeds were in the bottom three at the time and Sunday’s 4-1 defeat at Bournemouth left them 16th, one point clear of those places going into daunting-looking games against Manchester City and Newcastle.
Gracia, previously in charge of, among other clubs, Watford and Qatar’s Al Sadd, started well at Elland Road but has latterly presided over a run that has seen Leeds collect one point from a possible 15 and concede 18 goals in five fixtures.
Should the board decide to dismiss the Spaniard, they will need to identify another manager. With feasible options limited at this late stage of this season, it is possible they could reinstate Michael Skubala as interim head coach for the final four matches of the campaign.
Skubala, formerly the club’s reserve coach, briefly took the reins between Marsch’s exit and Gracia’s appointment and has since been serving as a first-team coach. He remains well regarded by both senior players and club executives, but it may be felt that a more experienced manager would elicit a better response from a squad lacking in form and confidence. Alan Pardew is a possible option, as is Lee Bowyer, a former Elland Road midfielder who has managed Charlton and Birmingham in recent years.
The Leeds squad – who conclude the season with a visit to West Ham and home game against Tottenham - have issued an apology after footage of players appearing to ignore a group of supporters as they departed the team hotel ahead of Sunday’s game against Bournemouth emerged on social media.
Leaving the hotel 😳#LUFCAway pic.twitter.com/TyL9D25F1r
— ian (@igrattan) April 30, 2023
There has been particular outrage among fans at the sight of the players cold-shouldering a small boy clutching what appears to be an autograph book as he waved forlornly at every member of the squad.
“As the first team squad at Leeds United we wanted to reach out to the fan base regarding yesterday’s game and subsequent posts on social media,” the players wrote in a collective statement. “Firstly, the performance was not good enough. There is no other way to look at it and the only way to respond is on the pitch. Leeds fans travel up and down the country in huge numbers and deserve more than this.
“What is just as concerning to us as a group is the video online of us leaving the hotel. Words can’t express how sorry we are that the youngster in the video wearing the Leeds kit is not shown more love from the squad. There is no excuse for not acknowledging fans.
“On a matchday we do an activation walk, before and after this we stop for photos and autographs to ensure we interact with fans, but that we are also on time when leaving for games. However, there is no excuse for not acknowledging fans and if the parents of the fan wearing the Leeds kit in the video could make themselves known to us, we would be grateful.”
