Leeds United could be set to make a change in management, with the World Cup reportedly providing the perfect opportunity to do so…
What’s the latest?
That’s according to journalist Phil Hay, who issued a rather ominous claim on Jesse Marsch’s future at Elland Road and how long he might have left in the job.
Speaking on The Phil Hay Show about the upcoming winter break, The Athletic reporter said: “It’s a sort of impromptu preseason that you wouldn’t normally have and there’s potentially no club that are more in need of that than Leeds.
“If you stand by Marsch then that gives you a long period in which to address issues and to think about recruitment in January, to talk seriously about what needs to change.
“If you decide to go in a different direction it actually gives you the flexibility where you don’t have to lump on a short-term appointment, or an interim appointment, or a caretaker, or anything else.”
His concluding statement was arguably the most damning for the 48-year-old: “Everybody has a gut feeling for where this is going and it will be incredibly difficult for him to survive.”
Big opportunity for Orta
With this upcoming break and with what Hay proposes, it gives sporting director Victor Orta a huge opportunity to either sound out Marsch's replacement or back him to turn things around. However, given Leeds' current form, it seems likely that he might opt for the first option.
The Whites are sitting in the bottom three of the Premier League, having not won since August. It will take something special to get out of this rut, and if the 48-year-old does not pick up points soon, then any decision over his future might be made for him.
Some might point to the job that he did in saving them from relegation as a reason for keeping faith, but his win percentage speaks for itself. He has endured a 29.2% win ratio, which by comparison is far worse than Marcelo Bielsa’s 47.6%, having replaced the Argentine eight months ago.
It might be somewhat gratuitous to attribute the Whites' top-flight safety solely to the American- even so, it does not offer him nearly enough credit to keep performing the way that Leeds have been of late.
Two wins all season, having shipped 18 goals whilst only scoring 13, and sat in the relegation zone... it all points towards Orta having a big decision to make in terms of who he might bring in this time to replace Marsch, if the Elland Road chief pulls the trigger on the 48-year-old.
Either way, as Hay points out, the upcoming World Cup offers Orta an ideal opportunity to weigh up all the pros and cons before arriving at a decision.