Andrea Radrizzani names two managers Leeds United tried to hire after sacking Jesse Marsch — Leeds United News 12/10/25
Will Butcher
The final season of Andrea Radrizzani’s tenure as Leeds
United was a mess. The Italian had publicly spoken of his dreams to reach
Europe, but in February 2021, he decided to sack Marcelo Bielsa.
From that point on, he could not have got much more wrong.
The hiring of Jesse Marsch proved to be a catastrophically bad decision and by
the time Leeds plucked up the courage to sack him, it was too late.
A three-game interim period under Michael Skubala did not
help proceedings either, and that was not because of Skubala. Any incoming
manager felt there was not enough time to turn the tide at Leeds.
Eventually, Leeds had to settle with the hiring of Javi
Gracia, and after a good start the inevitable became reality. A 5-1 loss at
Elland Road against Crystal Palace led Leeds to Sam Allardyce, and then
relegation.
Andrea Radrizzani claims Leeds could have hired Unai Emery
After Marsch’s sacking, Leeds pushed hard for
now-Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola and Liverpool boss Arne Slot. Neither had
moved to England and were both still in charge of Vallecano and Feyenoord.
They chose to remain where they were after talks. But
Radrizzani has now told The Mail that Leeds could have hired now-Villa boss
Unai Emery, or former Wolves and West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui at the time.
“We spent a lot of time trying to find someone with a
similar style of play as Marcelo. I regret that we didn’t change sooner. Jesse
is a good coach but I could see signs of frustration and misunderstanding.
“We could have had Unai Emery or Julen Lopetegui but we
missed that window. Then we tried with Arne Slot and Andoni Iraola after the
World Cup but it was too late. It was my responsibility,” Radrizzani said.
Radrizzani’s mistake with Jesse Marsch came three months
prior
Leeds had made a big sprint off the start line in 2022-23. A
win against Wolves on the opening day and a 3-0 hammering of Chelsea, which saw
Brenden Aaronson tackle Edouard Mendy and tap the ball home.
But Leeds fell off dramatically, and Marsch’s tactics and
signings came under the microscope. Prior to the 2022 World Cup, Leeds beat
Liverpool at Anfield and then 4-3 against Bournemouth. He was kept on.
Sacking Marsch and making the brave decision to get rid of
the American despite the two wins would have allowed managers to come in, have
time to work, and then, the January window. But Leeds held on.
Had Leeds opted to oust Marsch before the World Cup break,
Leeds might have just had a chance of survival with the right appointment. It
is likely Emery and Lopetegui were options at that time.
