Leeds United have reportedly made Patrick Vieira their first-choice managerial candidate this summer, according to The Guardian.
The West Yorkshire outfit will be appointing their fourth manager in the space of a year, after a disastrous season in 2022/23 ended their three-year stay in the Premier League.
Their search for a new manager has taken them to a host of names, with ex-Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira being the latest name to emerge as an option.
It was exclusively revealed by Football League World, that there were three managers leading the way to be the clubs next manager last week, with interviews believed to have begun then as well. They were as follows: Carlos Corberan, Brendan Rodgers, and Daniel Farke.
However, Rodgers has been appointed the new Celtic manager and Corberan is believed to be no longer under consideration for the club at this stage.
While another name that has been previously mentioned and is believed to still be in the running is ex-Bournemouth manager Scott Parker, who remains in contention.
However, Vieira is considered the club’s primary target, if reports from The Guardian are to be believed.
Could Patrick Vieira be a good appointment as manager for Leeds?
Here, we take a look at two potential knock-on effects of Vieira taking the reins at Elland Road.
Player pull
Given his name alone, Vieira would immediately be able to pull in a strong calibre of player and would also command respect. Naturally, with Leeds recently a Premier League club, they have an appeal for potential signings, but Vieira would add an extra layer to that.
He is a legend of the sport, and racked up over 300 Premier League appearances. Most of them came during his time at Arsenal, where he captained the side to titles under Arsene Wenger. This alone is a draw for players, and combined with the fact Leeds should have a decent budget and parachute payments, it could be a strong combination.
Vieira is one of the Premier League’s best ever midfielders and captains, and that would surely have an impact on the dressing room, too. He would not have to earn respect during his time at Elland Road, it would already be present as soon as he walked through the door. This could also help to retain Leeds’ better players who could have been minded to leave this summer as well.
Possession
Vieira likes to cultivate a strong culture at a club, with his teams generally liking a degree of control. That has been lacking dramatically at Leeds since Marcelo Bielsa’s departure, with the club playing a more transitional brand of football with little care for build up play.
That control wasn’t necessarily seen as prominently at Crystal Palace compared to other jobs Vieira has had, but with Leeds the Frenchman would likely want to play a possession-based brand of football to get the Whites out of the division.
Some may argue it is too ponderous and cautious, which is partly why things went stale at Palace, with Vieira more concerned about control as a means of protecting his team defensively, but the shackles may be off in the second tier, with more attacking flair relative to the division within Leeds’ ranks currently.
To get the club out of the Championship, he could be a good appointment in that regard.
