Leeds United chairman teases imminent new manager arrival with 'white smoke' statement - YEP 7/2/23
Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani believes the club are on the verge of appointing a new head coach
Joe Donnohue
The Italian tweeted on Tuesday evening that he hoped the
club would be able to announce a new head coach’s arrival by ‘tonight or
tomorrow morning’.
"We are on it,” Radrizzani replied to a supporter
querying the appointment. “Hopefully white smoke by tonight or tmw morning,” he
added.
In Catholicism, white smoke billowing from the Vatican is
synonymous with the naming of a new Pope. The Milan native’s reference suggests
Leeds are close to announcing Jesse Marsch’s successor. Forty-nine-year-old
Marsch was sacked by the club on Monday afternoon after taking the day’s
training and bidding farewell to players and staff at the club’s Thorp Arch
training facility.
Under-21s head coach Michael Skubala, along with backroom
staff members Chris Armas and Francisco ‘Paco’ Gallardo will take charge of the
team against Manchester United tomorrow evening. Radrizzani is due to fly into
Manchester on Wednesday where he will meet director of football Victor Orta and
chief executive Angus Kinnear at the team hotel.
Despite his bullish tweet, Radrizzani has form for
prematurely announcing new additions on Twitter. The entrepreneur took to
social media on transfer deadline day last summer, urging fans to welcome
prospective new signing Bamba Dieng, whilst vowing Leeds would work on adding
then-PSV Eindhoven attacker Cody Gakpo in the winter window. However the
Senegalese forward reneged on his agreement to join Leeds, heading instead to
OGC Nice’s training ground for a medical, which he subsequently failed, while
Gakpo joined Premier League rivals Liverpool in January.
Leeds’ majority shareholder will hope a similar scenario
does not play out in the club’s search for a new head coach.
