Leeds United are still without a permanent manager to take over from Jesse Marsch at Elland Road, with former youth coach Michael Skubala taking the reins for forthcoming fixtures.
The caretaker has given glimpses of his capabilities when he led the Whites to a draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford last week, and he has been confirmed as the coach who will lead the team in their must-win relegation six-pointer against Everton at Goodison Park this weekend.
The Whites are teetering on the edge of the Premier League relegation zone, just one point clear of Saturday’s opponents in 18th, so it will be imperative that Skubala picks up the crucial points needed to widen the gap between Leeds and the jaws of potential relegation back to the Championship.
As a result, the precarious position in which they find themselves will require caution from the powerbrokers at the club when appointing the next permanent manager should they do so before the end of the season, as the wrong appointment could be an absolute disaster and cause major uproar should it lead to the drop.
A silver lining has emerged, though, with stalwart Luke Ayling signing a contract extension to remain at the West Yorkshire club until the summer of 2024, which means the new manager will have the experienced right-back at his disposal whenever they take charge at Elland Road.
One manager who has been linked with the head coach vacancy this week is Andoni Iraola, as the Elland Road hierarchy continue talks with the Rayo Vallecano manager, who is set to be out of contract with the Spanish club this summer.
Could Iraola get the best out of Ayling?
The 40-year-old has had a limited managerial career so far, although his invaluable experience as a player could be hugely valuable to Ayling over the remainder of his time at Leeds.
Iraola was a combative right-back in his playing career, tallying 551 appearances, 38 goals and 47 assists. Most of his playing time was earned with Athletic Bilbao, completing 12 years of service with the Basque club before moving onto New York City FC, playing under Patrick Vieira.
The now-Crystal Palace manager held his former player in high regard in terms of his presence on the pitch when coaching him in the latter stages of career in America, saying of Iraola’s qualities: “A lot of players get a lot of credit but the work he does on and off the field deserves recognition.
“There are players who work really hard for the team but never get mentioned and those kind of guys are really quite special because they sacrifice themselves for the team. Andoni is the perfect image of a team player – everyone loves him on and off the field.”
Across 31 MLS appearances in his final season in New York, Iraola tallied a pass completion rate of 87%, registered one assist and completed 72% of his dribbles, along with averaging 56.6 touches, 38 accurate passes, 1.4 interceptions, 2.2 tackles and four successful duels per game, proving to be a huge presence on the pitch right up until he ended his playing career.
The Spaniard could channel that experience, quality and work rate into Ayling by coaching the Leeds stalwart to improve his game even further and give the team their best chance at competing comfortably should they remain in the top flight next season.
If Leeds could secure the prospective appointment of Iraola, it could be massively advantageous to Ayling to have a coach with an expert knowledge of his position and teach him a few things about that particular role in the team.