Premier League side Leeds United confirmed on Wednesday that manager Javi Garcia was relieved of his duties. The club also announced that Sam Allardyce will take over as their new boss and will guide the team in the remaining four games of the 2022-23 season.
Garcia leaves Leeds after spending 12 games in charge. The Spaniard was brought in as a replacement for Jesse Marsch in February but has only managed to win three games since then. Leeds lost their last five games, including a 4-1 defeat against Bournemouth over the weekend.
Leeds hired Allardyce with hopes that he would manage to keep them in the Premier League. The club is currently just outside of the relegation zone, sitting in 17th place in the standings.
What makes Allardyce’s job challenging is the fact that Leeds has the same number of points (30) as 18th-placed Nottingham Forrest and just one more than Everton, who are 19th. They also face a grueling schedule that will see them play against Manchester City, Newcastle United, West Ham, and Tottenham Hotspur to end the campaign.
Being tasked with saving a club from relegation is nothing new for Sam Allardyce. He faced similar challenges on multiple occasions during his managerial career and usually came out successful. Allardyce previously joined relegation-threatened Sunderland (2015-16 season) and Crystal Palace (2016-17 season) on short notice and guided both clubs to safety at the end of the season.
