Patrick Vieira is the latest to emerge as a contender for the vacant Leeds United head coach role. According to Sky Sports, the former Crystal Palace and Nice coach is one of the names in the running at Elland Road with interviews set to take place this week.
Leeds have been without a head coach since the departure of Sam Allardyce at the start of June and time is now of the essence when it comes to a new appointment. The club are due to ramp up their preparations for the new Championship campaign when they begin pre-season training on July 2 and it’s clear that a new man needs to be in place before then.
As such, the process of appointing a new man will gather pace this week and the hope is that Paraag Marathe and Angus Kinnear will be in a position to make an appointment sooner rather than later. What Leeds and 49ers Enterprises are looking for in a new head coach is uncertain at this point, though, and as more candidates emerge, it’s clear the club are keeping an open mind.
Daniel Farke is considered to be the frontrunner with the bookmakers, with some making him as short as evens to pick up the Elland Road reins. His style of play is clear, with Farke’s sides pressing high and utilising quick transitions to attack with pace and precision.
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The German won two Championship titles with Norwich City playing that way and he would undoubtedly look to play a similarly attractive way at Leeds, should he get the job. That experience in the second tier should be noted and while he has found success in the top flight a little harder to come by, there can be no arguing with his track record in the Championship.
That Football League knowledge clearly isn’t the be-all and end-all, though, given Vieira has never been at that level, either as a player or a coach. Vieira has been out of work since leaving Crystal Palace in March.
He enjoyed moderate success in his first season in south London by leading Palace to a comfortable midtable finish, but the going was a lot tougher in his second spell and he left the club during a run of 12 Premier League games without a win. He’ll be eager to get back on the horse, of course, and he’ll see Leeds as a suitably-sized club given his achievements in the game as a whole.
However, he isn’t aligned with Farke when it comes to a style of play, with the Frenchman asking his teams to play more possession-based football, built on a solid backline and a structured attack. Other reported candidates differ in their methods again, with the likes of Scott Parker, Carlos Corberan and even Lee Bowyer being linked previously.
According to a report by the Mail, Corberan appears to have been ruled out of the running, with his lack of Premier League experience and compensation cited. However, that might go to show that knowing the club doesn’t hold much weight for Marathe, Kinnear and co.
Leeds, then, seemingly do not have a rigid checklist when it comes to the attributes and traits they want to see from their side on the field moving forward. Without a director of football being in place to dictate style, considering a number of different approaches only seems to make sense for the Whites this summer.
