Former Real Madrid footballer Raul Gonzalez
Leeds United reportedly made an offer to Real Madrid legend Raul to take over from Jesse Marsch, although Elland Road officials have been turned down.
The Lowdown: Raul with Real Madrid Castilla
Raul, who is the third-highest goalscorer of all time at the Bernabeu, has been in charge of Madrid’s Castilla side since 2019.
The 45-year-old likes to play a 4-2-3-1 system and has been in charge of 113 games, averaging 1.58 points per match. A UEFA Pro Licence holder, Raul was previously linked with Eintracht Frankfurt, and it looks as if Leeds are also fans of the former Spain striker.
The Latest: Offer made to Raul
Spanish outlet AS shared a story on Monday evening regarding the Whites and Raul. They claimed that an offer was made to the 45-year-old to become manager at Leeds, but he has turned it down due to the ‘timing’ not being ideal.
The report adds that club owner Andrea Radrizzani and Paraag Marathe, the president of investors 49ers Enterprises – who appear to have the decisive say when it comes to managerial decisions – wanted Raul at all costs.
Who do you want to replace Marsch?
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The Verdict: Would be a gamble
Raul has no experience in the Premier League as a player or a coach, so a move would have been a big gamble by the Whites. It doesn’t look as if a deal will take place anyway, so it’ll be interesting to see who will be the next recipient of a managerial offer from Leeds.
The likes of Carlos Corberan, Ange Postecoglou and Steven Gerrard have all been linked, while Phil Hay has revealed that Andoni Iraola at Rayo Vallecano is also admired at Elland Road.
Only one of that quartet has experience in the Premier League (Gerrard), so it looks as if the man to replace Marsch may need to learn quickly in the English top flight.
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