Leeds United are interested in appointing West Bromwich Albion manager Carlos Corberan this summer after the last-ditch move for Sam Allardyce failed to preserve Premier League status.
What's the latest on Leeds' manager search?
The Athletic's Phil Hay stated last week that the club had left the door open for the Spaniard to return to west Yorkshire this summer.
Since then, Daily Express reporter Ryan Taylor – speaking to GIVEMESPORT – has claimed that the Spanish boss "has a connection" to the outfit after heading their U23 side in the past and working with the esteemed Marcelo Bielsa.
Taylor said: "I like Corberan, obviously he's got that Leeds connection as well because he's worked with the clubs U23s before. But again, it needs to be a project at Leeds. It's a cliché at the moment to say this, but you need to look at Burnley as a kind of benchmark in the model they've used to bounce back and come back even stronger than before."
The 40-year-old did sign a contract extension with the Baggies in February to ensure that his future would remain in the Midlands, but Leeds' new owners, the 49ers, will search for a way to bring him back to Elland Road regardless.
Should Leeds appoint Carlos Corberan?
Bringing in a manager with a proven track record in the Championship and a connection to the club will be at the forefront of the Whites' planning as they look to make the requisite moves to forge a path back to the Premier League at the first attempt.
Corberan plays the kind of football to get Leeds fans cheering again, and while he does emphasise a more defensive structure than past managers – namely Bielsa – this is hardly a detriment to his merit.
According to one tactical analysis, the former Huddersfield boss – who led the Terriers to the Championship play-off final last term – brings a meticulous approach to his trade and looks to utilise a possession-based style that is easy on the eye and relatively straightforward, having concluded the term with the fifth-highest possession ranking in the division (54.1%).
Indeed, there is beauty in simplicity and it's clearly working; when West Brom appointed the "genius" – as he has been dubbed by Romario Vieira – last October, they were near the pit of the Championship table and facing depths unseen for some time at the Hawthorns.
A meteoric ascension left the aspiring outfit concluding the term in ninth-place, just three points off the play-offs, and Leeds could now utilise his prowess to unleash their own version of Manchester City's Pep Guardiola to the dugout.
Indeed, the Citizen gaffer's compatriot, while he does not emulate him in the intricate, complex creation of his squads, plays an expansive style and excels in bringing the best out of the players at his disposal.
The aforementioned tactical report also illustrates positional versatility, the set-up interchanging, ebbing and flowing, when in possession and ceding the ball.
Indeed, that is something seen so regularly within Guardiola's sides, with the likes of Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko most prominently playing as inverted full-backs under his wing, not to mention John Stones' new role as a central defender who plays in midfield in possession, but at the back when the opposition holds the ball.
It is this dynamic flair that could allow Leeds, who will ostensibly be at the forefront of the pack next year, to flourish and push not only for promotion but the No. 1 spot.
