Leeds must stay away from Allardyce appointment, attacking manager required – opinion

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Sam Allardyce has made a number of hints he would like to stay at Leeds United beyond his initial interim four-match appointment.

The 68-year-old was brought in with the remit of keeping Leeds in the Premier League but was able to pick up just one point from a possible 12 available, and as such, the Whites were relegated to the Championship.

It has been reported that the Leeds squad would like to see Allardyce in charge next season, while he himself has said he believes he has what it takes to oversee an immediate promotion.

Ultimately, though, his attempt at keeping Leeds in the Premier League was terrible from a performance and results perspective, aside from the draw against Newcastle United.

The second half display at West Ham was shambolic, while his six defender line-up against Tottenham Hotspur in a must-win all or nothing match was laughable.

Leeds must seek attack-minded manager

Leeds are likely to be one of the strongest teams in the division and there is therefore no need to appoint a pragmatic manager like Allardyce.

Instead, they must look to seek a manager whose philosophy is based around keeping possession and dominating matches, in a similar way to what Vincent Kompany did at Burnley.

Kompany transformed Burnley renowned for their direct, defensive style of football, into a possession-based, entertaining side, which saw them romp to the title on 101 points.

Leeds have been linked with both Brendan Rodgers and Graham Potter, and while they may be overly ambitious, that is the right profile of manager they should be targeting.

When Leeds went up under Marcelo Bielsa, they were of course renowned for their incredible fitness, but ultimately, the foundations of his playing style were based on how good they were in possession.

Fellow relegated side Southampton have already set their stall out of how they will play through the imminent appointment of Russell Martin and Leeds must do the same.

It is the blueprint for a top side to get out of the division.