Leeds United confirm appointment of Sam Allardyce on short-term deal and ‘difficult’ Javi Gracia farewell - YEP 3/5/23
The so-called survival expert has been drafted in to save Leeds United from the drop with just four games of the Premier League season remaining
Joe Donnohue
Allardyce’s first game in charge will be this weekend’s
fixture away to Manchester City, followed by a home tie against the
68-year-old’s former employers Newcastle United.
Leeds’ final away trip of the season sees Allardyce and team
go up against another of the veteran manager’s former clubs, West Ham United.
It was at Upton Park that the newly-installed boss worked alongside current
Leeds chief executive Angus Kinnear, whom he offered his services to following
the sacking of Jesse Marsch earlier this season.
Leeds parted company with director of football Victor Orta
on Tuesday, before jointly announcing the departure of interim head coach Javi
Gracia and his coaching staff, and appointment of Allardyce on Wednesday
morning.
"Zigor Aranalde, Mikel Antia and Juan Solla, who joined
alongside Gracia, will also leave the club,” a Leeds United statement read. “We
thank Javi and his team for their efforts under difficult circumstances.”
A report in The Times claims Allardyce will be paid a salary
of £500,000, supplemented by a further £2.5 million should he keep Leeds in the
Premier League. Allardyce will, however, be without long-time assistant Sammy
Lee as the former Liverpool man is on jury service.
Instead, Karl Robinson, formerly of Oxford United and MK
Dons, joins Allardyce’s backroom team as assistant.
The club’s hierarchy view Leeds’ remaining fixtures as four
cup finals, and retain hope that the team can avoid dropping back into the
Championship after three seasons of Premier League football.
Orta’s exit after close to six years and Allardyce’s arrival
on a short-term basis spells the end for the board’s previous project and vision
for Leeds. The club are not looking beyond the end of this current season, with
full focus on staying in the division by any means necessary.
Leeds’ board of directors hope Allardyce’s experience of
similar situations will be enough to steady the ship before this summer’s
prospective takeover by minority shareholder 49ers Enterprises, which could be
jeopardised by relegation to the second tier.
Allardyce’s last job saw him appointed mid-season by West
Bromwich Albion in their attempts to stave off relegation during 2020/21. The
Baggies were unable to retain their Premier League status, though, winning just
four times in 26 matches under Allardyce, including once during his first 13
games in charge.
Allardyce did however correct Everton’s course during
2017/18, lifting the Toffees from an early season low of 18th place, up to
eighth by the end of the campaign, winning ten of his 26 matches at Goodison
Park.
The former England boss also helped Sunderland avoid what
appeared to be a probable relegation in 2015/16, going unbeaten during the
Black Cats’ last six games of the season.
