The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Wednesday 14th June) - Potters odds fall as Rodgers looks set for Celtic
Good Morning. It's Wednesday 14th June, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...
Odds on Potter for Elland Road hot seat fall
A flood of betting on Graham Potter overnight, has seen bookies slash their odds to just 3/1 regarding the ER hot-seat vacancy. Potter, 48, has been out of work since parting ways with Chelsea ten weeks ago, after a poor run of form. He is best known for turning around the fortunes of Brighton, a feat achieved on a shoestring budget.
Potter started his Managerial career in Leeds, albeit at Leeds Metropolitan University, known then as Leeds Carnegie FC. He was there for almost three years, before being poached by Östersund, a fourth-tier Swedish outfit (at the time).
It won't come as any surprise if Potter is Leeds' top choice, especially now Rodgers has returned North of the border. The biggest question remains - would he go to Leeds? Daniel Farke remains the top choice with the bookies at 11/10.
Leeds keeping their options open regarding DOF
When Stuart Webber quit Carrow Road yesterday, many believed he was on his way to Elland Road, but nothing is ever that simple at LS11. The transfer window is now open for business, but the club cannot move forward until the FA finish carrying out due diligence checks on 49ers Enterprises. One suspects this may take a while, due to the fact are talking about Leeds Utd, and a fine-tooth comb may well come into the equation.
Whilst Webber (a lifelong Leeds fan) would probably jump at the chance to join the Whites, it has been suggested that the club are keeping their options open, and may even appoint a short-term candidate to get them through what is expected to be a turbulent couple of months.
A good Director of Football could potentially save Leeds hundreds of millions (in the long term) as clubs like Brighton and Brentford have proved. The 49ers will be keen to not make the same mistakes as their predecessors and find the right men for the job. According to Phil Hay...
You can see why the dots between Webber and Leeds appear to join neatly. Webber is a Leeds supporter, one who shows up in away ends from time to time. Leeds need a replacement for Victor Orta, who left six weeks ago. All in all, it looks like a pretty natural match-up.
But so far, Leeds have been open-minded about how they will fill the vacancy. It might be they go for a like-for-like swap by finding another sporting director with overarching responsibility for the football side of the club, and transfers in particular. But they have also looked at employing both a specific head of recruitment and a head of football operations, spreading authority and widening the tier of management around their next head coach.
It is also possible Leeds will lean towards a shorter-term appointment. Someone who can handle a transfer window with numerous ins and outs, and then give Leeds’ owner-to-be — 49ers Enterprises — time to implement a more concerted long-term strategy.
While 49ers Enterprises has major plans for Leeds, the most critical priority is to make sure the club can compete for Championship promotion next season. Leeds would be prepared to wait for the person who suits them best if they can find an immediate solution in the meantime. Prior to his resignation, Webber had been discussed by Leeds as a viable successor for Orta.
But for the past two weeks, more attention has been paid to securing a new head coach; a decision Leeds would like to reach in the coming days. As it happens, Farke is in the running. But while Webber to Leeds is not out of the question, it remains to be seen if the time is now.