Leeds United reportedly settled on ex-Watford boss Javi Garcia as their new manager. Garcia will replace American Jesse Marsch, who was fired in early February after collecting only four wins in the 2022-23 campaign.
Leeds hopes Garcia can turn their struggling team around and help them avoid relegation from the Premier League. The Spaniard, who will sign a deal until the end of the season, has experience in these types of challenges, having guided Watford to safety during the 2018–19 campaign.
After moving on from Marsch, Leeds has identified Rayo Vallecano’s Andoni Iraola as their preferred replacement. But despite Iraola having an interest in coming to Premier League, Rayo rejected Leeds’ advances. They also tested the availability of Feyenoord’s Arne Slot and former Ajax manager Alfred Schreuder but ended up missing out on both of them as well.
Leeds United is currently sitting in 19th spot on the Premier League standings with 19 points out of 23 games. They have just one point more than last-placed Southampton and two points behind Bournemouth, who sits just outside the relegation zone.
Javi Gracia spent most of his career working in Spain, where he coached Almería, Osasuna, Malaga, and Valencia. He also worked in Greece with Olympiakos and in Russia with Rubin Kazan. His last managerial stint was in Qatar Stars League, where he coached Al Sadd and won a domestic title.
