Sam Allardyce is close to formalising an agreement to make a surprise return to Premier League management and succeed Javi Gracia at relegation-threatened Leeds.
Allardyce is expected to be unveiled as manager on Wednesday when Gracia’s departure will be confirmed. A heavily incentivised deal could earn Allardyce £3m if Leeds avoid relegation. Although nothing has been finalised, the 68-year-old former England coach is pencilled in to take training at the club’s Thorp Arch ground near Wetherby on Wednesday after a changing of the guard at Elland Road which has also led to the departure of Victor Orta as director of football.
Orta had wanted to retain his fellow Spaniard Gracia – who succeeded Jesse Marsch at Leeds in February – but fellow directors disagreed. Leeds announced Orta had gone “by mutual consent” and the owner, Andrea Radrizzani, said: “Victor has been responsible for some of the best moments of my time as owner of Leeds United and I thank him and his people for all they have done in the past six years. However, it is clear that it is time to change direction and therefore we have agreed that Victor will leave the club.”
Allardyce – who previously worked with the Leeds chief executive, Angus Kinnear, at West Ham – was identified as a potentially more galvanising force than Gracia, who had lost four of his last five games. By Monday night he and Leeds were in advanced talks. Allardyce has not been employed since leaving West Brom in 2021 but, albeit working within a significantly longer time frame, previously rescued Sunderland and Crystal Palace from potential relegations.
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Gracia was due at Elland Road on Tuesday to say farewell to staff and players, with Leeds executives hoping Allardyce will then start working on how to repair a defence which has conceded 18 goals in five games. Some senior players are understood to be disappointed at Gracia’s exit and feel he deserved to see the season out.
Leeds have collected one point from the past possible 15 and are 17th in the Premier League, level on 30 points with third-bottom Nottingham Forest. Relegation could be ruinous for Leeds, who fear it may jeopardise their long-mooted takeover by the San Francisco-based 49ers Enterprises. After the 4-1 defeat at Bournemouth on Sunday, club executives discussed a series of potential successors to Gracia.
Allardyce would have little time to turn things around and faces a formidable quartet of games featuring trips to Manchester City and West Ham, and home matches against Newcastle and Tottenham.
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The former MK Dons and Oxford United manager Karl Robinson, who worked with Allardyce at Blackburn, is likely to be his No 2. There would have also been a role for Sammy Lee, but he is on jury service