Steve Evans has recalled the "extraordinary meetings" he had with former Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino. The former Whites owner gave Evans the job as Leeds boss in 2015 on a rolling contract, but he would only last until the end of the season.
The former Whites boss has recalled how his knowledge of Leeds' youngsters, the likes of Sam Byram, Charlie Taylor, Kalvin Phillips and Lewis Cook, gave him an upper hand in talks with Cellino. The Whites would finish mid-table under Evans before the club was sold, a move that saw Evans part company at Elland Road.
"After I left [Rotherham], an even bigger opportunity came up," Evans told Coaches View. "One I just couldn’t turn down. I got a call from Massimo Cellino at Leeds.
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"We had a couple of extraordinary meetings, in which we discussed how I would approach the role. I knew all about the many talented youngsters they had coming through, because I’d tried to sign a few of them on loan at Rotherham. Players like Sam Byram, Charlie Taylor, Kalvin Phillips and Lewis Cook. Really top players. I wanted to give them more of a chance.
"I also wanted to play two up front. I wanted to give Chris Wood a strike partner. I wanted to play attacking football, as I had done wherever I’d gone before. He eventually offered me the job.
"I would have taken the job whatever the circumstances – this was Leeds United, after all – but I wish I’d understood a bit more about the challenges I was going to face. The main thing was that Massimo was trying to sell the club, so there wasn’t going to be much to invest in new players.
"We finished in mid-table, but there was so much potential there. Our position didn’t reflect the quality of our performances. Unfortunately, at the end of the season the club was sold, and the new owners wanted something I simply couldn’t give them. They wanted someone who had managed in the Premier League."
