Reliable Leeds reporter Phil Hay has been giving his thoughts to rumours linking Abel Ferreira with a move to Elland Road.

The Lowdown: Ferreira linked

Rumours from Brazil, as relayed by Sport Witness on Wednesday, claimed that the 42-year-old is among the main candidates to replace Marcelo Bielsa in Yorkshire, should the Argentine depart.

The Palmeiras boss has won three honours as a manager during his career and has a €30m (£25.5m) release clause, with the likes of Fenerbahce, Bordeaux and Dynamo Kiev all showing an interest in the 42-year-old.

The Latest: Hay reacts

Here at The Transfer Tavern, we asked Hay during his Wednesday Q&A on The Athletic if he has heard anything about the links to Ferreira.

This is what he had to say in reply:

“No, although Leeds have always tried very hard not to say much or anything about who might come after Bielsa. They're not rushing him out the door by any stretch. The difficulty with this is always timing. Appointing a new manager tends to depend on who is available and who is where at the time when you need to appoint someone. The ideal scenario for Leeds is that when Bielsa does go, it happens at the end of one season to allow time to prepare for the next. And actually, you can see that scenario.”

The Verdict: Planning required…

Bielsa has penned two separate 12-months deals following Leeds’ return to the Premier League and is therefore out of contract at the end of the season.

He doesn’t like to discuss his future midway through a season, so planning will always be required in regards to his eventual replacement. Hopefully the 66-year-old will be open to extending his Elland Road stay once again, but if he doesn’t, Leeds need to be in a position where they have managers on their radar for a swift appointment.

As Hay mentions, timing will be crucial, so Victor Orta and co may need to look into several possible replacements over the next six months in case Bielsa calls time on his Leeds tenure.

In other news: The stats show that these were Leeds' three worst players against Crystal Palace