Javi Gracia, a Spaniard, is the most recent candidate to be discussed as the next manager of the English club Leeds United
Javi Gracia, a Spaniard, is the most recent candidate to be discussed as the next manager of the English club Leeds United.
That’s what Fabrizio Romano says, and he thinks conversations are beginning for Gracia to maybe accept the Leeds role. Romano says that two weeks after parting ties with Jesse Marsch, Gracia is a a’serious contender’ to replace Marsch as Leeds’ head coach.
Nevertheless, Romano does note that there are two candidates for Leeds’ managerial position, so Gracia will have to compete with an unnamed opponent. After Marsch’s departure two weeks ago, the Whites have had a hard time finding a suitable replacement.
Leeds has been interviewing several contenders for their manager position over the last few weeks, and Gracia is the most recent addition to the list. Leeds’ 2-0 loss against Everton on Saturday has put the club in risk of relegation to the Premier League’s Championship under interim manager Michael Skubala.
Before retiring in 2004, Gracia had a stellar playing career in Spain with teams like Bilbao Athletic, Lleida, Real Valladolid, Real Sociedad, Villarreal, and Cordoba. Gracia got his start in coaching with Villarreal’s youth program and went on to manage at Pontevedra and Cadiz.
Villarreal rehired Gracia as their reserve team’s manager, and Olympiacos followed suit. After getting his start with Greek club Kerkyra, Gracia was able to improve his career to the point where he was transferred to Spanish clubs Almeria and Osasuna.
Malaga risked it all on Gracia in 2014, but after just two years he moved on to a stint in Russia with Rubin Kazan.
After signing Gracia in 2018, Watford made it to the FA Cup final in 2019, where they lost to Manchester City. Gracia left Watford in September 2019, rejoined Valencia in Spain, and most recently worked in Qatar with Al Sadd.
Gracia replaced Xavi Hernandez in March 2022 and went on to lead Al Sadd to the Qatari Stars League title, where he won 16 of his 22 games as manager. Gracia, who is set to return to England and may satisfy Victor Orta and Leeds with his Premier League experience, is a candidate for the position.
