Leeds United could turn to a short-term appointment in their hunt for a new sporting director.
That is according to the Athletic, who report the Whites may look to someone who can handle a transfer window that will consist of various ins and outs, therefore buying San Francisco 49ers Enterprises time to find someone who can then implement a more longer term strategy.
The current priority for Leeds is to build a squad capable of an immediate return to the Premier League, which is the first step towards the 49ers putting their ‘major plans’ in place for the club.
Norwich City’s Stuart Webber has been the man most heavily linked with replacing Victor Orta at Elland Road, and the door to his signature opened earlier this week after it was announced he would be leaving the Canaries.
Webber has an official notice period until March 2024 but could leave earlier if another club buys him out of his contract.
Leeds could look short-term
While it would be nice to put in a long-term strategy in place straight away, if their priority targets are not on the market, this could make sense.
At the moment there is a big job to do in terms of overhauling the squad and Leeds cannot afford to wait too long to begin work on that.
Bringing in someone like Webber, who has a track record of Championship promotions, could be a shrewd move at this stage, with a view to replacing him if Leeds reach the Premier League.
Beyond that, there is nothing on Webber’s CV to suggest he has the capability of implementing a long-term strategy in the Premier League.
If Leeds can get him to agree to come in as a stop-gap, then it could turn out to be a shrewd move.
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