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| Leeds United manager Javi Gracia (left) looks on in frustration during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Leeds United at Vitality Stadium on April 30, 2023 in Bournemouth, United Kingdom. |
Sam Allardyce is set to become Leeds United’s third manager of the season with the club poised to sack Javi Gracia following the 4-1 defeat to Bournemouth on Sunday.
Leeds are only outside the relegation zone on goal difference after five Premier League games without a win. Director of football Victor Orta will also leave his role.
Gracia took over from Jesse Marsch on 21 February and oversaw a 1-0 win over Southampton in his opening match – but the Whites took just seven points from a possible 30 after that.
The humiliation at Bournemouth prompted a public statement from the players, who said the performance was “not good enough”.
The squad also apologised for footage widely circulated on social media which appeared to show an eight-year-old fan being ignored by the players as they left the team hotel.
Allardyce, who left his last role with West Brom in 2021, will now be tasked with soothing what has become a toxic atmosphere at Elland Road, with just four games left to keep Leeds in the Premier League.
Three of those matches are against teams in the top six, with trips to Manchester City and West Ham sandwiched by home games against Newcastle and Tottenham.
