American coach Jesse Marsch was fired Monday from his position as Leeds United manager, a club statement confirmed.
Sunday’s defeat at Nottingham Forest was only the latest in a string of poor results that has left the Premier League club dangerously close to the relegation zone. The team has not won a single league match since their early November victory over Bournemouth.
“We are struggling to turn performances into results,” Marsch said after the Forest game. “We have been in this place for a while.”
The last time Leeds was relegated from the top flight, it was not able to find its way back for 16 years. Wary at the prospect of this happening again, Leeds supporters vented their frustration with the manager during Sunday’s match.
Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch during the Premier League match at the City Ground, Nottingham. (Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
The club’s ownership, which includes Andrea Radrizzani and 49ers Enterprises, listened. The American was sacked nearly a year after legendary coach Marcelo Bielsa was himself let go by the club.
“We would like to thank Jesse and his backroom staff for their efforts and wish them well for the future,” the statement read. “The process of appointing a new head coach is underway.”
The move comes after a record-breaking January transfer window for the English club, which saw 10 incomings and outgoings and a nearly £50 million expenditure. Weston McKennie, a U.S. international, was brought on loan from Juventus to bolster an increasingly American midfield. Georginio Rutter, signed on a permanent deal from Hoffenheim, is the club’s new record signing.
The window also saw Marsch joined by his friend and fellow American coach Chris Armas, who most recently assisted Ralf Rangnick at Manchester United.
Weston McKennie of Leeds United, left, sits next to Brenden Aaronson of Leeds United on the substitutes’ bench during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Leeds United on Feb. 5, 2023 in Nottingham. (Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
The arrival of the American cavalry did not prove to be enough to save Marsch’s job. Nor did the memory of last season’s final-day heroics, which saw Leeds beat Brentford to ensure survival.
However, Leeds’ loss may be the U.S.’s gain, or so the speculation goes. The national team’s managerial position has remained vacant since Dec. 31, when Gregg Berhalter’s contract expired. The U.S. soccer federation is conducting an extensive search.
Berhalter remains a candidate for the job, pending an investigation into a 1991 domestic violence incident against his now-wife Rosalind.
Leeds United lost the match against Nottingham Forest on Sunday and remain above the relegation zone only on goal difference. (Photo by Tim Goode/PA Images via Getty Images)
However, Marsch’s playing style, array of managerial positions, and nationality make him an attractive candidate. Marsch served as a U.S. assistant manager under Bob Bradley, won two Supporters’ Shields with New York Red Bulls, and spent two successful seasons with Red Bull Salzburg in Austria.
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After a short-lived tenure with Germany’s RB Leipzig, Marsch became only the third American to manage in the Premier League when he joined Leeds.
Even the 2022-2023 season, fraught as it was, saw Marsch able to best Liverpool at Anfield and thrash Chelsea at home.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.