Victor Orta has flown out to Madrid to hold talks with Andoni Iraola about becoming the next Leeds United manager, according to a report from the Daily Mail.
Leeds’ search for Jesse Marsch’s successor has possibly not got off to the best start. Potential target Carlos Corberán has opted to sign a new contract with West Brom.
But it would appear that Leeds have now moved on quickly. In fact, Orta is already abroad for discussions with another name on their wishlist.
Orta flies out for talks with Leeds target Iraola
According to the Daily Mail, the Leeds director of football is in Spain to try and convince Iraola to make the move to Elland Road.
They are keeping their options open. Arne Slot is another name on the radar. But it seems that they are now pushing ahead with attempts to try and convince the Rayo Vallecano boss to make the move to Yorkshire.
Iraola would certainly be an exciting appointment for Leeds. He has done an amazing job with Rayo, leading them from the second tier to the European places in Spain. They now sit fifth in La Liga, three points off Atletico Madrid and the Champions League spots.
He is someone who has played under Marcelo Bielsa. And he also has a connection to Leeds winger Jack Harrison, having played alongside him in New York.
It would be something of a gamble. But any appointment would be at this stage. Leeds are in the fight to stay in the Premier League.
And unless they target someone whose stock is extremely low, it is going to be extremely difficult to find someone with Premier League experience.
Iraola is a project manager with a clear style. So it would be a positive statement if Orta could get the green light.