LEEDS have named Sam Allardyce as the new manager of the club.
The Englishman has been hired with the aim of keeping the Yorkshire side in the Premier League.
Javi Gracia, 53, has in turn been sacked by the club, despite only joining at the end of February to replace the sacked Jesse Marsch.
The Spaniard did look to have been a smart appointment as he picked up two wins in his first four Premier League games.
However, after a run of horrific form, the club are right in the midst of a relegation battle and are only out of the drop zone on goal difference.
Leeds are winless in their last five games and have conceded 17 goals during that time.
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And now he has followed director of football Victor Orta out of the club after he was axed yesterday.
Allardyce, 68, has only suffered one relegation as a manager and the hope will be he can guide the club to safety over the final four games.
A club statement read: “Leeds United can confirm Javi Gracia will leave the club after 12 games in charge.
“Zigor Aranalde, Mikel Antia and Juan Solla, who joined alongside Gracia, will also leave the club.
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“We thank Javi and his team for their efforts under difficult circumstances.
“The remaining four games of the season will be overseen by experienced head coach Sam Allardyce.
“Allardyce has managed over 500 Premier League games in a managerial career stretching 29 years and he brings a wealth of knowledge in fighting for survival, having guided a number of his previous clubs to safety.”
Though it will not be an easy task with some tricky fixtures in coming up.
Allardyce’s first two games will be against Manchester City and former side Newcastle United.
He will then have a trip to another former club in West Ham before finishing the season at Elland Road against Tottenham Hotspur.
The new Leeds boss even gave an interview with talkSPORT before the announcement was made.
Upon getting the job, Allardyce admitted it only took him “two seconds to say yes”.
He told talkSPORT: “Stood here in my office overlooking the training ground and the fabulous facilities here at Leeds.
“Excited to be involved again and obviously as a team in a lot of trouble, I have seen trouble before and hopefully.
“I could have done with a little bit more time, but in four games hopefully we can make a difference and keep this club in the Premier League.”
According to reports, he will receive £3MILLION for helping Leeds survive.
He will earn a basic salary of £500,000 and a bonus of more than £2.5m if he keeps Leeds up.
That sum, for less than a month’s work, would technically make him the best-paid manager in world football, eclipsing the £2.48m per month that Diego Simeone earns at Atletico Madrid.
But Allardyce is going to have to try and steer Leeds to safety without trusty assistant Sammy Lee.
Lee, 64, has been Allardyce’s right-hand man at several clubs in the past.
But he cannot join him at Elland Road because he is on jury service.
Allardyce is vastly experienced in the Premier League having managed at Bolton, Blackburn, Newcastle, West Ham, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Everton and West Brom.
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The former defender also had a brief spell in charge of the England national team before he was sacked after just 67 days for being caught in a sting advising on how to “get round” rules on players.
However, he is the only person to boast a 100 percent win record with the national side.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
