Leeds hires survival specialist Gracia

Relegation-threatened Leeds United have confirmed the appointment of Javi Gracia as their new head coach on a short-term contract until the end of the season with an option to extend should Leeds stay up.

The former Watford manager succeeds Jesse Marsch, who was fired a fortnight ago, and the Whites are hopeful that he will enable them to survive the drop.

Gracia can be regarded as a survival specialist after helping Watford to stay in the English Premier League, having found the Hornets in a difficult situation during the 2017/18 campaign.

The Spanish tactician comes in at a time wis Leeds is also in a similar situation, placed in the bottom three of the 20-team EPL table with 19 points and in the 19th position after 23 games.

The 52-year-old's first game in charge of Leeds will be at Elland Road when his new team hosts bottom-side Southampton on Saturday in a relegation six-pointer.

He last coached in the EPL in 2019 before he was sacked by Watford, and his most recent job was at Al Sadd SC in Qatar during the 2021/22 season, where he won the league title.

Garcia has rich managerial experience, having previously worked with the likes of Valencia, Osasuna, Malaga, Almeria, and Rubin Kazan, among others.