Leeds set to appoint Sam Allardyce to save their season with four games to play

Javi Gracia has overseen four defeats in five games during his short spell in charge

Leeds United could be set to sensationally parachute Sam Allardyce in to stave off relegation with just four games to go. Mail Sport and The Athletic are both reporting that Javi Gracia’s days could be numbers after the Spaniard struggled to revive the West Yorkshire side’s fortunes. The club’s owner, Andrea Radrizzani, is believed to have asked his director of football Victor Orta to see if he can find a firefighter to bring in before Saturday’s visit to league leaders Manchester City. And who better than Fireman Sam to fill the position? Allardyce was appointed Sunderland manager in October 2015 and saved the club from relegation. He then helped Crystal Palace to avoid relegation in the following season and guided Everton from a lowly position to an eighth-place finish in the 2017/18 season. Former Watford boss Gracia arrived at Elland Road on a ‘flexible’ contract in February following the sacking of Jesse Marsch. He won three of his first six Premier League games but his job now looks untenable after fans turned on him after the defeat at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday. The club’s supporters advisory board released a statement “asking for immediate changes to be made to the first-team coach”, and Gracia himself admitted he did not know if he would still be in charge this week. Orta is now said to be scouring options in Spain and Holland for a replacement for Gracia. Former Leeds midfielder Lee Bowyer has also been talked about by sources close to the club. The 46-year-old, who is currently out of work after being sacked by Birmingham last summer, is interested in the job. Following Leicester’s 2-2 draw with Sean Dyche’s Everton on Sky Sports, presenter David Jones and pundit Jamie Carragher discussed the potential recruitment of Allardyce to Leeds. Jones asked Carragher: "There are reports tonight that Javi Gracia is potentially on his way out of Leeds United and leading the way as a frontrunner is Sam Allardyce. What do you make of that?” Carragher responded: “Well, Sean Dyche is a sort of similar manager and he’s come in at Everton to do that job of making them better defensively. “We know in the past Sam Allardyce has done that job before.” Related links:

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