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Javi Gracia will be confirmed as Leeds United’s new manager when the club’s search for a successor to Jesse Marsch finally comes to an end.
- Gracia, 52, was manager of Watford in the Premier League
- He kept them in the division after a relegation struggle and reached the FA Cup final.
- Leeds is second bottom of the Premier League table, two points from safety
Javi Gracia will be confirmed as Leeds United’s new manager on Tuesday when the Yorkshire club’s search for a successor to Jesse Marsch finally concludes.
The former Watford manager will be tasked with leading Leeds to Premier League safety, with the club sitting 19th in the table.
Leeds are two points from safety but lost 1-0 to fellow struggler Everton on Saturday. They face a crucial home game with Southampton this Saturday.
Sportsmail reported on Monday night that talks were taking place with Spanish manager Gracia and that he was one of two names under consideration.
Rafa Benítez, the former Liverpool coach, was not in the race because he is waiting for another project.
Javi Gracia will be confirmed as Leeds United’s new manager on Tuesday.
The club had been keen to keep Michael Skubala (right) for the remainder of the campaign, but sporting director Victor Orta (left) feels they need more experience to avoid relegation.
Leeds had been willing to leave Michael Skubala in the interim role, but an encouraging 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford was followed by successive defeats, to United at Elland Road and then at Goodison Park.
Recognizing the need for someone with more Premier League experience and with director of football Victor Orta under pressure to make an appointment, Leeds turned to Gracia a fortnight after the sacking of American manager Marsch.
After failing to tempt candidates such as Rayo Vallecano’s Andoni Iraola, West Brom’s Carlos Corberan and Feyenoord’s Arne Slot, they spoke to former Ajax boss Alfred Schreuder only to change their minds following poor reaction from fans.
They have now targeted two more names with Free Grace after leaving Qatari club Al-Sadd and understood that they are willing to accept a short-term deal.
The 52-year-old coached Watford from January 2018 to September 2019 and was a popular figure with the staff.
Grace guided Watford to Premier League safety and led them to the second FA Cup final in their history.
However, he was sacked the following September, like so many Watford managers, after a poor start to the season.
His last job saw him retain the league title with Al-Sadd after taking over as manager from Xavi, who had left for Barcelona. Gracia has also trained in Valencia, Malaga and Rubin Kazan.
Gracia kept Watford in the Premier League and led them to the FA Cup final in 2019