Leeds United have named former Watford manager Javi Gracia as their new manager, the club confirmed on Tuesday.
Gracia replaces Jesse Marsch, who was fired on February 6 after going seven games without a Premier League win.
“Leeds United are delighted to announce the club have agreed terms with Javi Gracia to become men’s first team head coach, subject to obtaining a work permit,” said a statement from the club.
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The club revealed that the Spaniard had agreed to sign a “flexible contract.”
Leeds, who have failed to win in three consecutive games under caretaker manager Michael Skubala, are now 19th in the standings ahead of Saturday’s encounter against Southampton.
Gracia, 52, has been out of work since she left Al Sadd last year. He’s also managed Malaga, Rubin Kazan, and Valencia. During his stint at Watford, he led the club to the 2019 FA Cup final, where they lost 6-0 to Manchester City.
Carlos Corberan was connected with the post at Leeds before accepting a new contract with West Bromwich Albion. The team was also interested in Rayo Vallecano’s Andoni Iraola and former Ajax manager Alfred Schreuder.
Claudio Echeverri is joining Manchester City from River Plate in Argentina, following in Julián Álvarez’s footsteps from two seasons ago. The journey is similar, but the route is much different.
Alvarez was 22 years old when he made the move, an established international who was widely regarded as the greatest player in Argentina’s premier flight. Echeverri, on the other hand, has played very little in it. He is only 18 years old, and his senior River Plate appearances have been restricted to a few, largely from the bench.
