Leeds United have pulled a few left-field managers out of the hat in the last few years, not least during the erratic reign of Massimo Cellino.
But the Italian’s countryman and successor as the club’s sole owner, Andrea Radrizzani, has displayed an equally unorthodox approach to finding a man who can take the Championship giants to the holy grail of the Premier League.
Leeds fans were left frantically searching Wikipedia and other sources for morsels of information about little-known Thomas Christiansen after it was announced on Thursday that he has landed one of the plum jobs outside of the top flight in English football.
Former Spain international striker Christiansen, who arrives at Elland Road after leaving APOEL Nicosia on the same day that Garry Monk handed in his Leeds resignation, has raised eyebrows not only among supporters but also the management fraternity.
Ex-Leeds boss Steve Evans is among those left scratching his head at the 44-year-old’s appointment.
Evans, who was in charge of Leeds for most of the 2015/16 season, told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast show, which was broadcast on talkSPORT on Friday, that he hoped for a more traditional appointment.
“The question that every Leeds fans will have is ‘will he come and make a big difference’. I suppose from their point of view, the disappointing thing is that there is some great names that have been linked,” he said.
This Is Futbol analyses the three named by Evans who he believes would have been better appointments, including two who are out of work: