Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards does not believe Leeds United want a short-term fix at Elland Road. The Whites are looking for their third manager in 12 months, with Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch losing their jobs in consecutive Februarys.
Those two may have contrasting off-field personalities but, on the pitch, their footballing philosophies are similar, highlighting a style Leeds chiefs are keen to implement. Other clubs down the bottom have made changes in recent weeks.
Frank Lampard and Nathan Jones lost their jobs at Everton and Southampton respectively. For context, five of the bottom six clubs - the only outlier being West Ham United - have changed managers this season.
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Leeds could opt for a “get-out-of-jail-card” manager who specialises in relegation dogfights to help salvage their season. However, ex-England international Richards expects Andrea Radrazzini and company to make a long-term appointment.
“It is difficult (who Leeds should appoint) because good managers are hard to come by,” he told Sky Sports. “Good managers are still in jobs, so it is always going to be difficult for anyone. But I think it’s the certain style of manager they’re looking for.
“We’ve seen clips of their high press. McKennie, who (also) runs all day, and you’ve just got to be careful of who you go for. You don’t want to get someone who’s just going to keep you up until the end of the season and then you have to look at someone else.
“I think it’s the long-term plan that Leeds are looking for. In contrast to what we were saying about them fizzling out towards the end of games, if you look at Leeds over the last three or four months, they’ve not had a full squad to pick from.
“Against Man United [on Wednesday], they lost two in the first half so it’s not great as well but, in terms of the forwards, they’ve got some good attacking options that can give you an option.”
