Sam Allardyce edges to exit door ahead of Leeds showdown talks
Sam Allardyce will meet with Leeds United on Thursday with the expectation being that he will not carry on as head coach following their relegation to the Championship.
The 68-year-old and his coaching team of assistant Karl Robinson and Robbie Keane have hugely impressed staff and players at Leeds in their four games at the club despite failing to save them from the drop.
No final decision has been taken as to whether Allardyce will continue, or whether indeed there may be another role for him at the club, but the indications are that he will step down.
He is due to meet with Angus Kinnear, the Leeds chief executive, and will discuss his plans and also offer his thoughts on how the club should move forward and what structures should be put in place.
Leeds are without a sporting director after Victor Orta’s departure but the scouting and recruitment team has remained in place.
Leeds are also hoping for clarity on their ownership by the end of this week with the options being that 49ers Enterprises either takes full control, and 100 per cent ownership, or retains its 44 per cent stake for now.
The American group would definitely have pushed ahead with the deal, already in place, to buy out owner Andrea Radrizzani had Leeds stayed in the Premier League.
It remains fully committed to eventually purchasing the club but there may now have to be some renegotiation on the previously agreed price, although it is understood relegation has not led to a drastic revaluation for either party.
The expectation is, therefore, that the sale will still go through with Kinnear carrying on in his role as Leeds finalise who their head coach will be and overhaul their playing staff.
Radrizzani, meanwhile, is leading a consortium that has completed its takeover of the Italian club Sampdoria, which has also just been relegated from Serie A.
Kinnear is working with Radrizzani and Paraag Marathe, the president of 49ers Enterprises, in deciding what happens next. If Allardyce does not carry on it remains to be seen whether there are roles for Robinson, the former Oxford United manager, or Keane.
Leeds’s fate was sealed with the 4-1 home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur and although Allardyce and his team gained only one point, from a possible 12, they gave the club a lift and were popular arrivals and staying on remains an option for them.
Kinnear addressed staff at Elland Road on Tuesday and assured everyone that their jobs would be safe despite relegation and the club had no plans to impose pay cuts. There is a determination to bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt.
The situation is different for the players with most having salary reductions of between 40-60 per cent written into their contracts on relegation. As part of that agreement it also means, however, that the majority also have release clauses that can be activated on relegation and a number of them, led by Jack Harrison, are expected to leave.
