Should the San Francisco 49ers complete their takeover of Leeds United from Andrea Radrizzani this summer, their first task will be finding a manager who can help the Yorkshire outfit seal a swift return to the Premier League.
Radrizzani has now completed his takeover at Sampdoria which should hopefully hasten his sale of Leeds, even if relegation has significantly lowered his valuation of the club.
Sam Allardyce took over as interim manager at Elland Road until the end of the season, but he could still be in the running to take over permanently, despite taking just one point from the final four games as Leeds dropped down into the second tier.
A plethora of names will be linked with the club throughout the summer but a swift appointment should be made to give the new manager the best possible chance of building a squad capable of challenging at the top of the table.
Who could replace Sam Allardyce at Leeds?
One man the 49ers are also said to be targeting is former Rangers and Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard, in an appointment which could be disastrous for their hopes of a positive Championship campaign.
According to The Sun, the Liverpool legend is a possibility for Leeds's potential new American owners as the Yorkshire side target their fourth manager of 2023, with Jesse Marsch and Javi Gracia's spells at the club both ending prematurely due to poor results on the pitch.
The 43-year-old has been out of work since being sacked by Villa in October 2022 after a terrible start to the season, with the Villans' qualification for the Europa Conference League testament to both the impressive impact of Unai Emery and the struggles that Gerrard had in getting the best out of a clearly talented squad.
If Leeds were to only consider Gerrard's spell at Rangers, where he delivered a Premiership title and averaged a strong 2.15 points per game, then it would perhaps not be seen as a dreadful appointment.
However, his former assistant Michael Beale was described as "the brains behind it all" there and after he left Villa to join QPR last summer, it was perhaps no surprise that Gerrard quickly struggled.
The former England midfielder, who typically employs a 4-3-3 formation, mustered just nine points in 11 Premier League matches this term, which is fewer than even Jesse Marsch managed at Leeds (18), with a much better squad at his disposal.
So good was that squad at Villa Park that Unai Emery would later go on to finish in a European spot, only highlighting the poor job Gerrard had done in the Midlands.
With Leeds nearly opting for "disaster" when Gerrard was touted as a potential replacement for Marsch in February – in the words of journalist Hunter Walker – the new prospective owners must avoid repeating Villa's mistake and steer clear of the Liverpudlian this summer.