Frustrating as it must have been for some inside Leeds United, the sighting of Alfred Schreuder at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon may have helped their head coach saga. When the former Ajax boss was seen with head of European recruitment Gaby Ruiz it was patently clear why he was at the Manchester United match.
Schreuder had been in the city for a meeting with Victor Orta on Saturday night, one of many coaches the director of football has held exploratory talks with, and he chose to stick around for Sunday’s match. The 50-year-old would watch the game from one of the boxes in the Jack Charlton Stand before coming over with Ruiz to see Orta and Angus Kinnear on the opposite side.
By Monday afternoon, Orta was flying out to the Netherlands to make it clear to Schreuder, who had already flown back on Sunday night, the club would not be taking their talks any further. The Spaniard is keen to do his business face to face as much as the hours in the day allow.
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It had become clear in their meetings over the weekend Schreuder would favour a back-three system which looks to dominate possession for as long as possible. For a club looking at Schreuder as an interim option, who would ease away from Jesse Marsch’s chaotic attack column, this was too much of a departure.
It would have been a revolution on the tactics board with too little time in the season to see it bear fruit. Leeds need something more conservative in a temporary appointment and this is how Schreuder’s exposure helped to burn away some of the fog.
News of the possibility of Schreuder arriving at Elland Road generated a strong reaction, on Twitter at least, which, of course, is not a scientific temperature test, but left Leeds in no doubt. Schreuder’s appointment was anathema to a great many supporters.
The pushback was so strong there was a sizeable proportion, still high on a decent week of performances, who said they would rather Michael Skubala get the job on an interim basis than Schreuder. This was a coach who had carried himself well in press conferences, delivered two very promising displays with tactical tweaks and received backing from senior members of the dressing room.
In a marketplace where the very best head coaches, who want to be in work, are generally working and fighting for something in mid-February, the Whites have had to tailor their strategy. As yesterday’s announcement showed, Skubala has emerged as the best option at this moment, to United’s mind.
Andoni Iraola, the Basque in charge at Rayo Vallecano, was someone Leeds had heard positive noises around, but when it came down to brass tacks his president, Raul Martin Presa, made it abundantly clear this was not happening. The Madrid outfit, only promoted in 2021, are just five points from the Champions League places with virtually half the season still to play.
Marcelo Gallardo is another name Leeds admire and hoped to coax from a coaching break. However, the Argentine held firm in his desire to see through this pause before returning to work in the summer.
Arne Slot was not initially under consideration because the original understanding had been he may not be willing to leave Feyenoord, who are top of Eredivisie. The landscape shifted in Rotterdam and positive talks were held, but, like Vallecano, Feyenoord put their foot down.
These are just three names which are highly likely to be available in the summer. They are examples of what Leeds may hope to move for at the end of the season, if not before should circumstances change.
As was shown with Schreuder, the Whites do not want to appoint the wrong name on the wrong terms for the sake of having a more experienced face in the dugout. There is no getting away from the fact this is a major risk which simply has to work, and quickly, for Leeds.
What good is waiting for what looks like the perfect candidate in the summer if you are a Championship club? Crucially, the situation remains fluid and Skubala has not been appointed until the end of the season.
The situation will be monitored, block of games by block of games. The hunt for Marsch’s permanent successor continues and if the right candidate emerges before the end of the campaign, Leeds will swoop.
If the Skubala project falters, Leeds are alive to interim options which may provide more experience. However, there is faith in the former futsal supremo.
As he sat with Orta and the backroom team at Elland Road late on Monday night to sign everything off, he was excited and, as he said last week, loving the exposure and challenge of the role. He has the full backing of the board, the players and, as Sunday night’s reactions showed, enough credit in the bank for the fans to back him too.
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