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Bruce and Ranieri among four man Leeds shortlist for Heckingbottom replacement

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Leeds United have been in contact with four potential new managers as they seek out a replacement for the sacked Paul Heckingbottom, according to a Sky Sports journalist.

Mario Giunta, an Italian reporter for the broadcaster, has claimed on his personal Twitter account that after axing the former Barnsley man on Friday, there is a quartet of names on a shortlist, who are former Chivas boss Matias Almeyda, ex-Lille manager Marcelo Bielsa, Aston Villa’s Steve Bruce and Premier League winner Claudio Ranieri, who guided Leicester City to their shock top flight title.

It is said that a decision over who will take over will be imminent, potentially over the next 48 hours, and that of the four it is Ranieri who would be the most difficult to sign.

Only Bruce has experience of the Championship, and is something of a promotion specialist, having taken Birmingham City and Hull City up to the top flight twice respectively, and was on the verge of a fifth with Aston Villa.

Opinion

Well it is fair to say that the four man list is a little bit more exciting than Paul Heckingbottom. They are all ambitious names for their own reasons, and it now seems as though Andrea Radrizzani has a massive decision to make. With three of the four currently out of work, it should not be too difficult to get any of the trio to Elland Road with the right persuasion, while the future of Bruce at Villa Park does not look to rosy either. The former Hull man does have a vast amount of experience in the Championship but is that what the top brass at Leeds are looking for, or are they keen on bringing in a new, exciting coach who will get fans talking? It would definitely be a risk to gamble on an unproven coach but that being said, Nuno Esperito Santo and Rafael Benitez from Wolves and Newcastle respectively had never been in the English second tier and walked their way to the top flight title. Any which way, it sounds as though fans will not have to wait long until they find out who their new man is.

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