Leeds United: Who next after manager Jesse Marsch's departure?
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Leeds United are on the hunt for a new manager following the sacking of Jesse Marsch less than a year into his reign.
Marsch departs after only two wins in the Premier League since August, with Sunday's 1-0 loss at Nottingham Forest leaving them outside the relegation zone only on goal difference.
BBC Sport looks at some of the potential candidates to take charge.
Rafael Benitez
Age: 62 Nationality: Spanish Club: Unattached
One of the most experienced managers in the game, Benitez is available after leaving Everton a year ago.
Well versed with the Premier League, he won the 2005 Champions League with Liverpool and the 2013 Europa League during an interim spell at Chelsea. He also guided Newcastle to promotion from the Championship.
Benitez has also had stints at some of Europe's major clubs, including Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Napoli and Valencia.
Marcelo Bielsa
Age: 67 Nationality: Argentine Club: Unattached
The man Jesse Marsch replaced as head coach last year, Bielsa is known to be keen to get back into management after being interviewed for the Everton job recently.
Bielsa helped get Leeds promoted to the Premier League and then kept them up, but was sacked as they struggled last season.
Despite that, it seems many fans would welcome him back. He knows most of the squad but would he want to come back so soon?
Carlos Corberan
The Football News Show: Is Carlos Corberan the preferred choice for Leeds United fans?
Age: 39 Nationality: Spanish Club: West Brom
The Spaniard was a coach under Bielsa before departing in 2020 to take over at Championship side Huddersfield.
In his second season with the Terriers he took them to within a game of returning to the Premier League, when they lost to Nottingham Forest in the play-off final.
Corberan left to take over Greek giants Olympiacos but was sacked after11 games. He returned to England with West Brom and has led them from the relegation zone to fighting for the Championship play-offs.
Steven Gerrard
Age: 42 Nationality: English Club: Unattached
Former England captain Gerrard is out of work after being sacked by Aston Villa this season, with the side teetering above the relegation zone.
He lasted only 11 months at Villa Park, winning 13 of 40 games, and his time came to an end when supporters sang anti-Gerrard chants in his final match.
Gerrard's first managerial job came with Rangers, guiding them to a first top-flight league title since 2011 with an unbeaten campaign and breaking Celtic's stranglehold on the trophy.
Ralph Hasenhuttl
Age: 55 Nationality: Austrian Club: Unattached
Hasenhuttle was named Southampton manager in 2018 and guided them out of the Premier League relegation zone and to safety.
In his second season he led them to 11th and a points total of 52, the Saints' highest since 2015-16.
His tenure also featured heavy defeats, with 9-0 losses to Leicester and Manchester United, and he was dismissed last November with Southampton in the relegation zone, where they remain.
Before his time at Southampton he led RB Leipzig to second place in the Bundesliga.
Andoni Iraola
Age: 40 Nationality: Spanish Club: Rayo Vallecano
Iraola has guided Rayo Vallecano to fifth in La Liga after leading them to promotion from Spain's second division in his first season in charge.
He has earned his plaudits for his high intensity approach and has experience of working with Leeds' revered former boss Bielsa, having played under the Argentine at Athletic Bilbao.
Iraola, who has also managed Cypriot club AEK Larnaca and Spanish second division side CD Mirandes, is understood to be admired by Leeds sporting director Victor Orta.
Kjetil Knutsen
Age: 54 Nationality: Norwegian Club: FK Bodo/Glimt
Knutsen has been linked with several jobs in England in recent months after impressing with his work at Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt, where he has been in charge since 2017.
He quickly established them as a dominant force domestically and led them to their first league title in 2020. A successful defence followed, while his standout result in Europe saw him oversee a 6-1 win against Jose Mourinho's Roma in the Europa League two years ago.
Mauricio Pochettino
Age: 50 Nationality: Argentine Club: Unattached
Pochettino is another manager familiar with the English top flight, leading Southampton to an eighth-place finish in his first full season in charge.
A move to Tottenham followed, when he came agonisingly close to ending their long wait for silverware - they finished as Premier League runners-up in 2016-17 and lost to Liverpool in the Champions League final two years later.
Pochettino was dismissed months later and went on to manage Ligue 1 giants Paris St-Germain, claiming the league title and cup in France before leaving last summer.
Ange Postecoglou
Age: 57: Nationality: Greek-Australian Club: Celtic
Postecoglou led Celtic to a league and cup double in 2021-22 and has them on course for more silverware as they sit top of the Scottish Premiership, nine points clear of Rangers.
Previously he led Australia to the AFC Asian Cup title in 2015.
Postecoglou has been linked with a number of Premier League teams this season but has previously said he wants to see things through at Celtic.
Nuno Espirito Santo
Age: 49 Nationality: Portuguese Club: Al-Ittihad
Nuno has managed Valencia and Porto and had a successful four-year spell at Wolves, guiding them to promotion from the Championship in his first full season.
He then led them to two seventh-placed finishes - Wolves' highest placings in the Premier League - qualifying for Europe for the first time since 1981.
Wolves reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League in 2020 but Nuno left by mutual consent at the end of the next campaign.
An ill-fated 17-game spell at Tottenham followed, before he appointed as manager of Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad last July.
Thomas Tuchel
Age: 49 Nationality: German Club: Unattached
It would be an ambitious move by Leeds but Tuchel has been out of work since he was sacked by Chelsea in September.
Tuchel led Chelsea to Champions League success in 2020-21 and won an impressive 60 of his 100 games in charge, losing only 16.
Before his time in London he managed Paris St-Germain and Borussia Dortmund, where he boasted win percentages of 75% and 63% respectively.
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