Real Madrid legend Raul ‘turns down the chance to replace Jesse Marsch at Leeds United’

Spanish football legend Raul turned down the opportunity to replace Jesse Marsch at Leeds United, according to AS. 

Leeds sacked Marsch on Monday evening after less than a year in charge as the club’s owners were concerned over the American’s reign.

The Premier League side is said to have approached Raul – who is currently in charge of Real Madrid’s reserve side – shortly after the sacking.

According to AS, they wanted to see if Raul would take over. However, the 45-year-old manager is said to have turned Leeds down as the ‘timing was not right’. 

The Spanish news outlet is reporting that Raul – who is amidst a fight for promotion to the Second Division with Castilla – did not want to change clubs half-way through as season. 

Raul (R) is said to have turned down the opportunity to replace Jesse Marsch (L) at Leeds 

Marsch was sacked after Sunday’s Nottingham Forest defeat left his side winless in the league since early November

Marsch was summonsed to a crisis meeting at the club’s Thorp Arch training centre on Monday morning, along with chief executive Angus Kinnear and sporting director Victor Orta.

It was during this meeting that Marsch was informed of the club’s decision to dispense with his services – given the fact Leeds have taken just 11 points from the last 51 on offer in the Premier League.

Marsch was understood to be visibly shaken by the news that he was no longer in charge – and was immediately consoled by Kinnear and Orta.

Leeds then turned their attention to hiring Raul – who was linked with Eintracht Frankfurt in May 2021. 

Raul is yet to manage a senior first-team but he has been in charge of Madrid’s B-team for almost four years.

During that time he has taken charge of 103 games. He also represented Real Madrid 741 times during his playing career and scored 323 goals. 

In his 16 seasons with Madrid, Raul lifted three European Cups, two Club World Cups, six La Liga titles, four Spanish Super Cups and the UEFA Super Cup. 

After calling time on his Madrid career in 2010, Raul moved to German football where he undertook a brief spell with Schalke.

 Raul represented Real Madrid 741 times during his playing career and scored 323 goals

West Brom’s Carlos Corberan (left) has emerged as a contender to replace Marsch at Leeds

After bowing out of European football, he moved to Qatari side Al Sadd before bringing down the curtain on his storied career with New York Cosmos.

He then turned to coaching and has since been tipped to replace Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid’s first-team manager when the time is right. 

Given Raul’s decision to turn down the role, current West Brom boss Carlos Corberan has emerged as a contender for the vacancy. 

It is understood, the Spaniard, who was considered for the recently vacant Everton job, would give serious consideration to a return to Leeds, where he was Under-23’s coach between 2017 and 2020.