Leeds United could start to see their Premier League rivals change manager soon.
One of Leeds United’s potential Premier League survival rivals are already weighing up a change of manager, according to reports.
Fulham are one of three top-flight teams yet to record a win and sit below Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth in the relegation zone. Their two points came in draws against Manchester United and Liverpool but four defeats arrived in concerning fashion, the most recent at Ipswich Town.
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The Cottagers lost on the opening weekend at home to Chelsea and have since fallen to defeat against other strugglers Sunderland and Crystal Palace. On Saturday, they spent much of the second-half 1-0 up at Portman Road but conceded in the 88th and 92nd minutes to lose 2-1 against newly-promoted Ipswich.
Following that defeat, London-based outlet The Standard reported that manager Alvaro Arbeloa’s future now ‘hangs in the balance’ with two games left to save his job. The Spaniard is said to be needing positive results against newly-promoted Hull City and Coventry City to survive.
Arbeloa, who replaced Marco Silva three months ago, was backed by Craven Cottage chiefs in the summer with big money spent on some of his former Real Madrid youngsters including £34million striker Gonzalo Garcia. But there have been reports of squad disharmony almost from the off.
Following Saturday’s defeat at Ipswich, Arbeloa insisted he wasn’t worried about his position but talkSPORT also report that he is under serious scrutiny with Thomas Frank eyed as a potential replacement. Fulham head to Elland Road on December 19 before hosting Leeds at Craven Cottage in February.
Elland Road chiefs will hope to keep well away from any relegation battle but despite the positive start, survival remains the key objective. The Whites were unbeaten from five league games until last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Arsenal but remain seventh in the table, aiming first to reach the 40-point mark as quickly as possible.
Leeds know all too well what managerial uncertainty can do to Premier League relegation candidates having seen the panic button hit on multiple occasions among rivals last season. Nottingham Forest burned through four head coaches while West Ham, Spurs, Wolves and Burnley all made changes in the dugout.
A calmer approach in West Yorkshire saw Farke backed and he went on to guide Leeds to relative comfort, eventually finishing 14th and being mathematically safe with three games to spare. They are now reaping the rewards of that stability but the same cannot be said elsewhere.