Paul Heckingbottom has headed on his holidays and it’s fair to say that nobody really knows if he will be in the Leeds job come August.
Leeds paid £500k to secure his services from Barnsley in February but it hasn’t gone to plan and it feels like Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta haven’t really decided what’s going on with the head-coach, but time is running out to decide.
Claudio Ranieri has shot up with the bookies, Radrizzani commenting on the manager when he appointed Heckingbottom, bemoaning the fact he was already in a job. Heckingbottom needed wins to convince Leeds United fans and that simply didn’t happen.
It did ease slightly once the season finished because everyone was so caught up in the controversial trip to Burma, but on return the questions began to come thick and fast and we still don’t know what the situation is. Normally a coach heading on holiday would be enough to cement his position for the next season, clubs wouldn’t send a coach on his holidays and then sack him on his return, saying that this is Leeds United and anything is possible.
Surely the club wouldn’t send Heckingbottom to Burma unless they were convinced that he was the person to take us forward? It’s really all a guessing game but indications are that he will be staying because we’re getting to the end of May, the transfer window has been open for two weeks and perpetrations are well under way.
Orta will definitely stay on. Heckingbottom is still there but I think the crunch will come over how much all sides agree on recruitment.
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) May 22, 2018
Phil Hay (as above) believes that the issue standing in the way of clarity regarding Heckingbottom is whether he can agree with the club on transfer business. It was no secret that Heckingbottom was keen on Andy Yiadom but the Barnsley skipper signed for Reading.
The problem with that is Yiadom was probably 4th choice right-back at the club if he came in, why would Leeds even consider such a move? Luke Ayling, Lewie Coyle and Gaetano Berardi are all more than capable and Vurnon Anita is still on the books currently.
What is odd that the players Leeds are chasing are actually quality players at this level. Angus Gunn, Kyle Bartley and Abel Hernandez are the three seemingly at the top of the transfer list and all three are superior players to what Heckingbottom is used to working with.
Victor Orta is staying, we know that much. He will be in primary charge of the transfer dealings this summer and he has many people to win over. He signed too many flops last summer and it has set us back. There is a theory that he didn’t have enough money to spend and was told to focus on foreign imports but we’ll never actually know if that is the case.
He seems to be targeting UK based players this summer and that is exactly what the fans want to see. The odd one or two from abroad is fine, you can take calculated gambles but we need the experience as well and it seems the club are heading down that route.
