Leeds United manager Paul Heckingbottom is set to be sacked this weekend with owner Andrea Radrizzani summoning him for talks when he returns from holiday, according to Football Insider.
The football news website, which has been a reliable source of information surround events at Elland Road in the past, claim that the Italian chief has not been convinced that the former Barnsley boss is the man to turn the club’s fortunes around, having appointed him back in February.
Taking over from Thomas Christiansen, Heckingbottom was only able to guide the club to a 13th place finish in the second tier with four wins from 16 games, and after much deliberation it is said that Radrizzani has decided on the manager’s fate.
Opinion
It seems strange that Radrizzani has waited so long to instigate a change in the dugout, and it can only mean that the situation has changed – be it that a new manager has become available or a change in direction from the top brass at Elland Road. Nothing changed following Heckingbottom’s appointment as the club still struggled, and the only reason he would have been kept on this long would have been to give him the transfer window to build a side of players that he felt could take the club forward. If Radrizzani was not planning on giving him all of summer, then he should have been axing him the minute the season ended, and all this has done is waste crucial time both in terms of getting a new manager in as well as bringing in new recruits for the first team. The fans must hope that this has not cost them a chance at success next season, for there need to be major improvements made from top to bottom.