Sam Allardyce has been appointed as Leeds United’s interim manager. Javi Gracia and his backroom staff have been dismissed after just 12 games at the helm, as they watched their team concede 23 goals across seven matches in April.
A five-match winless run leaves the Whites 17th in the table and outside the relegation zone on goal difference alone. Leeds still have to play the Premier League’s first, third, sixth and 15th-placed sides before the campaign ends.
While Victor Orta wanted to continue with Gracia at the helm, the board, led by Andrea Radrizzani, felt new energy was needed to galvanise the players. This first led to a parting by mutual consent with the director of football and then the move to employ Allardyce, who will be assisted by former Oxford United boss Karl Robinson.
READ MORE: Victor Orta leaves Leeds United as Andrea Radrizzani breaks his silence on crisis
With Leeds in a death spiral towards the Championship and so little time to turn the tide, many candidates for the vacancy were looking for deals beyond two years. With uncertainty around league status and the club’s ownership, Allardyce emerged as their desired boss on a four-game deal.
The likes of Lee Bowyer had their hat in the ring, but Allardyce’s specific experience of United’s plight and his previous work under chief executive Angus Kinnear pushed him to the fore with one objective: save the club from the drop with less than a month inside the building.
The 68-year-old has been out of work since taking West Bromwich Albion to the Championship in 2021. Allardyce had 25 games at The Hawthorns to keep the Baggies up, but failed with just four wins in six months.
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