Leeds United are on the hunt for a new head coach after announcing on Monday that they have parted company with Jesse Marsch less than a year into his tenure at Elland Road.
The 49-year-old American departs following a run of seven Premier League matches without a win, leaving the West Yorkshire side in 17th place and hovering just above the relegation zone on goal difference.
Leeds sporting director Victor Orta and owner Andrea Radrizzani are now set to play a key role in choosing a successor and supporters will be updated by the club "throughout the coming days".
In the meantime, Michael Skubala, Paco Gallardo and Chris Armas have been placed in charge of the first team for Wednesday's Premier League encounter against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
While Leeds search for Marsch's replacement, Sports Mole takes a look at five potential candidates who could take over on a permanent basis.
Carlos Corberan
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West Bromwich Albion boss Carlos Corberan has emerged as the frontrunner with the bookmakers' to succeed Marsch, less than four months after replacing Steve Bruce at The Hawthorns.
The 39-year-old will be familiar with Leeds supporters after he spent three years in charge of the club's Under-23s alongside working as a first-team coach under Marcelo Bielsa between 2017 and 2020.
Leeds are believed to be against the idea of reappointing Bielsa, but Corberan is rated highly by the Whites' hierarchy and they regard the Spaniard as one of their main candidates to take the reins at Elland Road.
Corberan left Leeds in the summer of 2020 and spent two years in charge at fellow West Yorkshire side Huddersfield Town, who narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League last season after losing to Nottingham Forest in the Championship playoff final at Wembley.
The Valencia-born coach then moved to Greek giants Olympiacos in August 2022, but he was sacked after winning only two of his 11 games in charge.
Corberan has since returned to England and has excelled during his brief stint at West Brom, hoisting the Baggies from a relegation scrap to challenging for the playoffs after winning 10 of his 13 Championship matches at the helm.
Mauricio Pochettino
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While the prospects of luring Mauricio Pochettino to Elland Road may be slim, Leeds are understood to have included the Argentine on their managerial shortlist to replace Marsch.
The 50-year-old has been out of work since he was relieved of his duties at Paris Saint-Germain last summer, despite leading the French giants to the Ligue 1 title last season.
Prior to his 18-month spell with PSG, Pochettino managed for almost six years in England with Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur; he coached the latter for close to 300 games and guided them to a second-placed finish in the 2016-17 Premier League season before reaching the Champions League final in May 2019.
Pochettino is believed to be keen to return to the Premier League and has been linked with replacing Graham Potter at Chelsea, but should a move to Stamford Bridge fail to materialise, the project at Leeds could appeal to the Argentine.
Former Whites boss Bielsa, who has a 'special' relationship with Pochettino, could put in a good word for the club and persuade his compatriot to take the plunge in West Yorkshire.
Kjetil Knutsen
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Earlier this season, Kjetil Knutsen emerged as a surprise candidate to succeed Graham Potter at Brighton & Hove Albion, and the highly-rated 53-year-old is now in the frame to potentially replace Marsch at Leeds.
Knutsen has managed four different clubs in his native Norway over a 28-year period, but his reputation has grown since he took charge of Bodo/Glimt in 2018.
After finishing 11th in his first season, Knutsen led Bodo/Glimt to their first-ever Eliteserien title in 2020 before they successfully defended their crown in 2021. The Yellow Horde were unable to retain the title in 2022, though, finishing just two points behind Molde at the summit.
The three-time Norwegian Coach of the Year has also had recent success with Bodo/Glimdt in European competition, beating Jose Mourinho's Roma 6-1 in the group stage of last season's Europa Conference League before losing to the same opponent on aggregate in the quarter-finals.
Knutsen is now entering his sixth season as Bodo/Glimdt boss and with the new Norwegian season not starting until April, he may believe that now is the right moment to make the next step in his career and challenge himself in the Premier League.
Ange Postecoglou
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Another manager to have been linked with a switch to the Premier League is Celtic's Ange Postecoglou, who has enjoyed a successful 18-month spell with the Glaswegian giants.
The Australian-Greek, who was allegedly eyed up by Brighton, Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton earlier this season, helped the Hoops regain their status as Scotland's finest by winning the 2021-22 Premiership title and the Scottish League Cup.
While Celtic's Champions League exploits leave a little to be desired, Postecoglou's side have excelled on the domestic front, winning 23 of their 25 top-flight matches so far this term, and they are on course to retain the title as they sit nine points clear of bitter rivals Rangers.
Postecoglou, who has previously won titles in Australia and Japan, has implemented an attractive brand of football at Celtic, with his side having already notched up 97 goals in all competitions this season, and his philosophy may suit the current crop of players at Elland Road.
Celtic will be desperate to keep hold of Postecoglou, who will see his contract at Parkhead expire in May, but the opportunity to take charge of a renowned Premier League side may be too good to turn down.
Steven Gerrard
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Steven Gerrard is another potential candidate to take the reins at Leeds, with the former Rangers and Aston Villa boss revealing last month that he is keen to make a swift return to management in the Premier League.
The 42-year-old, who was recently linked with the Poland vacancy, has spent almost four months out of work following his dismissal at Villa Park, where he lost 19 of his 40 games in charge across all tournaments.
Gerrard's managerial career has somewhat derailed following his 11-month stint in the Midlands, but many will remember his impressive three-and-a-half-year spell with Scottish giants Rangers.
His invincible Gers outfit ended Celtic's nine-year dominance at Scotland's summit by winning the Premiership title in 2020-21 – qualifying for the Champions League in the process – a year after narrowly missing out on Scottish League Cup glory in the final.
A legendary midfielder in his playing days with Liverpool and England, Gerrard may view the Leeds vacancy as one of his best opportunities to get back into coaching and prove that he can adapt to the rigours of Premier League management.
