A look at the latest Leeds United headlines on Monday, May 29.
Leeds United managerial target Iraola has 'two offers but could take year out'
Spanish media outlet Marca claim Real Vallecano boss Andoni Iraola could take a year out of management after leaving the La Liga side. The Spaniard was said to be a target for Leeds United following Jesse Marsch's departure from Elland Road.
The report claims two English clubs, Sevilla and Villareal are all keen on appointing the Basque head coach, having impressed with the La Liga minnows. Vallecano have offered the 40-year-old a one-year contract extension on improved terms, but he looks set to leave on a free.
READ MORE: How Leeds United house Bielsa built crumbled leaving Radrizzani to deliver final act club deserves
Leeds were said to be willing to pay out Iraola's contract in full in an attempt to lure him to Elland Road, but Real Vallecano put a block on the switch.
Andrea Radrizzani's Leeds United priorities are way out of line as first player exit becomes clear
End of the chapter
It feels like it’s been in the post since mid-October, but the worst was finally realised at Leeds United yesterday after two years of poor decisions caught up with the club. Last year’s final-day escape proved to be a small delay in the inevitable conclusion once the Whites stood by Jesse Marsch through the World Cup break.
Hindsight is all we have in situations as seismic as this for a football club and if failing to refresh Marcelo Bielsa’s squad in summer 2021 lay the groundwork for this demise, persisting with the American was the ultimate hammer blow. Marsch oversaw a run of two wins across 17 games between late August and his February 5 finale: these were the straws which broke the camel’s back.
Relegation cannot have been a shock for many, especially given how painfully predictable Sunday’s second-minute opener was. It feels like it’s been coming for a while, with the Bournemouth loss the most recent bellwether, but the real sadness in this fall is the end of the chapter Bielsa built.
Leeds United board talks expected as Sam Allardyce pinpoints first major decision to make
Sam Allardyce expects to sit down with members of the Leeds United board this week to discuss how the club moves forward into a pivotal summer. Leeds saw their relegation to the Championship confirmed in pitiful circumstances on Sunday afternoon as they lost 4-1 to Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road to end a three-year stay in the Premier League.
The Whites struggled at the wrong end of the division for much of the season and rounding it off with a run of nine games without a win to seal their fate. Ultimately, after arriving at the club with just four games to go, there wasn’t a huge amount Allardyce could do to prevent United from surrendering their status in the top flight.
However, the head coach was still massively upset to have only picked up one point from the quartet of games he was given, alongside assistant coaches Robbie Keane and Karl Robinson. An inquest will already be underway at Elland Road as to where this campaign went wrong, but planning for next season must gather pace now, too, and deciding who will be in the hotseat come the start of pre-season is a huge decision that still needs to be made.
Jamie Carragher 'sad' to see Leeds United relegated and highlights flaw in Allardyce appointment
Jamie Carragher believes it is 'sad' to see 'big club' Leeds United suffer relegation from the Premier League following a three-year stay. However, the Sky Sports pundit believes 'really poor individual defenders' were always going to undermine Sam Allardyce's best efforts.
The Whites turned to the former England boss with just four matches remaining in a desperate bid to secure survival. In the end though, Allardyce was only able to deliver a single point with relegation confirmed on the final day with a heavy home defeat to Tottenham.
Leeds' conceded 11 goals during Allardyce's brief tenure, including four in the loss to Tottenham which extinguished their unlikely survival hopes. Carragher understood the club's decision to bring in the former England boss, but believes weaknesses in their backline were always going to prove costly.
Simple transfer maths that spelt disaster for Leeds United a year ago
Sky Sports pundit Clinton Morrison was able to reel off a list of issues that led to Leeds United’s relegation from the Premier League, but believes that losing two key players last summer was the most decisive difference of all.
Raphinha was sold to Barcelona having been the star player throughout Leeds United’s first two years back in the Premier League, while academy graduate and England international Kalvin Phillips joined Manchester City.
Speaking on Sky Sports News’ coverage of the last day of the Premier League season - including United's defeat to Tottenham - Jeff Stelling quite legitimately pointed out on his final day in the job: “It wasn’t about the day – they survived on the final day of last season, then they sold Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips, so how were they ever going to be better this season?”
Sam Allardyce sounds Leeds United transfer cry ahead of massive summer window
Sam Allardyce believes it is absolutely imperative for the Whites to make the most of the summer transfer window if they are to re-attain Premier League football by getting promoted back from the Championship next season.
The Leeds United boss came in for the final four games of the season with the club sitting outside the bottom three on goal difference but was only able to lead his players to taking a single point, resulting in a 19th-placed finish, five points adrift of safety.
Allardyce feels that there is only so much any manager can do with a given set of tools at their disposal, suggesting both that Leeds had recruited poorly for the current squad and that they will need to do better ahead of the new second-tier season.
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