• German has not worked since being sacked by Wigan in November

• Redfearn in the dark over appointment but is expecting to leave

• Cellino brands Redfearn 'a baby' in press conference

Uwe Rösler is a leading contender to be appointed Leeds United’s head coach, despite Neil Redfearn not yet having left the club.

Rösler is among a number of individuals whom Massimo Cellino has considered in recent days. The German has been out of work since leaving Wigan Athletic in November, having also managed Brentford from 2011-13.

Rosler guided Brentford to the League One play-off final in May 2013 and took Wigan to the Championship play-off semi-finals as well as the last four of the FA Cup in 2014.

Former Brentford manager Mark Warburton and Sunderland manager Gus Poyet - who worked under Dennis Wise at Elland Road between 2006 and 2008 are examples of other names being thrown into the managerial hat.

Redfearn’s contract expires in June and he is set to leave despite having guided Leeds to Championship safety last season in the midst of a chaotic period. Leeds’ owner, Massimo Cellino, has not spoken to the current coach since his return from a Football League ban and Redfearn had not been told of Rösler’s potential appointment on Tuesday.


If confirmed, Rösler will become the fourth manager at Leeds since Cellino controversially took control last April. The Italian initially appointed the former Forest Green Rovers coach Dave Hockaday, before replacing him with the Slovenian Darko Milanic and then Redfearn.

Cellino's tenure at Leeds has already been littered with controversy, and the former Cagliari owner has further tax allegations against him in Sardinia that could potentially lead to more problems with the League.

The controversial Italian said this about current manager Neil Redfearn last week in an interview with the Daily Mirror: "Neil Redfearn does the [Leeds United fans'] salute. He challenged me.

"If you are good I can accept the challenge. But not if you are a bad coach. He has to respect the chairman.

He continued the slating of his coach "He has to respect the club. He’s like a baby. He’s been badly advised and used by someone.


"He is not a bad person but he has a weak personality.”

Neil Redfearn still remains in his position as head coach but his contract expires on June 30 – and Cellino will not be offering him a new one.

Looking forward to this - good luck and should be interesting

Good luck.

Love the title! Good luck.

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Cellino always has to act like the protagonist gl!

The end of the road at Leeds United looks nigh for Leeds manager Neil Redfearn, but he can certainly hold his head up high for his sterling work in wholly difficult circumstances in 2014-15.

The 49-year-old has endured a torrid crash course in management, but commendably shown his dignity throughout, with his ‘prize’ for providing a welcome sense of stability and bringing through a number of talented kids into the first team at Leeds likely to be the sack.


Redfearn endured plenty in 2014-15. From his number two Steve Thompson being suspended in mystifying circumstances on April 2 to six players refusing to play in the league game at Charlton Athletic on April 18 after declaring themselves unfit, and plenty more besides.

The Yorkshireman and boyhood Leeds fan has shown stoicism throughout and earned the respect of countless people in the football fraternity, not to mention Leeds United’s long-suffering fanbase. Not in terms of respect for what he has had to put up with, but also his accomplishments on the pitch.

Without Redfearn and Thompson’s renaissance work early on in the New Year, United, in many people’s eyes, would have been in deep relegation trouble and in real danger of an apocalyptic descent into League One, which would have been an unmitigated disaster.


Many at the time would have gladly taken a fourth from bottom finish. But in the event, United surpassed expectations and passed the traditional safety mark, 50 points, with eight games to go courtesy of a 3-0 win at Fulham on March 18.

Redfearn and Thompson deserve credit for a fine upturn in the first three months of 2015, with their accomplishments particularly noteworthy on the road.


Up until the end of March, Leeds lost just once in eight Championship away trips, bagging five wins and claiming 17 points from a possible 24. That tally was equal to the amount they amassed from 23 league away matches in 2014, with United, under Redfearn’s command, having won six Championship games on the road so far in 2015. In comparison, they won just four matches throughout 2014.

Redfearn’s reign provided hope, manifested in the rise of young players Lewis Cook, Alex Mowatt, Sam Byram and Charlie Taylor, with several more Academy talents such as Kalvin Phillips and Chris Dawson having also been nurtured impressively by the head coach, who consistently spoke about the importance of showing a duty of care to Leeds.


Redfearn also helped steady the ship last term following the disastrous appointments of David Hockaday and Darko Milanic, who mustered a combined total of six points from 10 Championship matches in their respective spells at the helm, which in the final analysis represented relegation form.

Redfearn’s legacy is likely to be bequeathing the club again with some Academy riches, while in the short-term, also extinguishing the flames of a disastrous descent to relegation. He can truly hold his head up high.

Adam Pearson will today be unveiled as an executive director at Leeds United – after calling time on a similar role at Sheffield Wednesday.

BBC Sport understands the former Hull City chairman met Massimo Cellino over the weekend to discuss a possible return to Elland Road.

Agreement was struck in principle and Pearson, whose departure from Hillsborough is yet to be made public after he was appointed to the Owls’ three-man football committee just last month, returned to Elland Road yesterday to finalise matters.
It is believed he has already been allocated an office and will start in the role this morning.

The appointment is a key one by Cellino, who only returned to the Championship club a few days ago after serving a Football League ban.


The Italian is determined United, who yesterday agreed a contract extension with Lewis Cook until the summer 2017, will not suffer a repeat of what was a hugely disappointing 2014-15 as the club finished 15th.

Pearson’s first task is likely to be the search for a new head coach, with Cellino understood to be on the verge of removing the popular Neil Redfearn.

Uwe Rösler , whose last job was at the DW Stadium with Wigan Athletic, has already been linked strongly with a post that, for all United’s recent travails, is still an attractive proposition.

The reasons behind Pearson’s departure from Wednesday remain unclear but a desire to return to Elland Road is believed to be an important factor for Leeds-based Pearson.


Along with Glenn Roeder and head coach Stuart Gray, the former Tigers chief was seen as a key part of the team that Thai businessman, Dejphon Chansiri, believed could realise his dream of taking the Owls into the Premier League by 2017. Chansiri envisaged Gray coaching the team as Roeder identified players and Pearson dealt with agents and rivals clubs.

Now, Wednesday, who only unveiled the new set-up on April 20, are looking for a replacement ahead of a crucial period when fans are expecting to see several new faces arrive.

As for Pearson, though, his impending switch to Leeds means a return to the club where he spent several successful years as commercial director around the turn of the Millennium.


His left the Elland Road board in 2001 to join forces with businessman Peter Wilkinson to rescue Hull from administration. In a little over six years with Pearson at the helm, the Tigers went from the basement division to consolidating their status as a Championship club - ironically, after relegating Leeds on the final day of the 2006-07 season. Hull were then sold to businessman Russell Bartlett later that summer and went on to reach the Premier League.

Since then, Pearson has had another spell as chairman at the KC - after answering an SOS from Bartlett to sort the club’s by then ruinous finances out - and he also took charge of Derby County. He remains the owner of Hull FC rugby league club, whose day-to-day running he leads to a management team he put in place. As with his short-lived stint at Hillsborough, the Super League outfit will be unaffected by his new role at Leeds.

good luck lad, great start

The updates are amazing! Love the start, keep it up.

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Rodolph Austin and Aidan White were the most high-profile casualties as Leeds United released nine players.

Austin and White have both been told they will not be handed new contracts when their current deals expire at the end of next month.

But United have offered contract extensions to Kalvin Phillips and Lewis Walters, easing fears that the two academy products might leave Elland Road this summer. Austin’s exit brings to an end to his three-year stay at Leeds while White is quitting a club he first joined at the age of nine.


The left-back caused waves when he broke into United’s first team as a teenager in 2008 and he made a total of 111 appearances. White, however, never established a settled position and the 23-year-old’s final season at Elland Road was largely written off by a broken foot bone.

Austin also amassed a century of appearances for Leeds and played regularly throughout the recent Championship term. Leeds paid around £300,000 to sign him from SK Brann in 2012 but he will move on for nothing this summer. Wigan Athletic tried and failed to sign the Jamaican international in January and Millwall, Brighton and Bolton Wanderers have all been linked with him in the past six months.

Speaking last month, head coach Neil Redfearn said: “He epitomises this level. I don’t think it’s a big surprise that a lot of Championship clubs wanted him.”


Other players released by Leeds today are goalkeepers Stuart Taylor and Alex Cairns and midfielders Michael Tonge and Zac Thompson. Academy players Daniel Atkinson, Luke Booker and Afolabi Coker are also leaving.

Phillips, however, is considering the offer of a new contract having made his first-team debut last month. Walters also looks set to remain at Elland Road next season. Six other academy players – Lewie Coyle, Tyler Denton, Eric Grimes, Luke Parkin, Alex Purver and Jake Skelton – are weighing up new deals.


Leeds have not indicated whether any of the seven players who were on-loan at Elland Road this season, including Granddi N'Goyi and Edgar Cani, will be returning to the club, but Sol Bamba has reportedly been in advanced talk over a permanent stay at Elland Road, with Adryan likely to stay on loan for a further year. Paraguayan striker Brian Montenegro has agreed to stay for another year at Elland Road, with him in scintillating form in the Under-21's Development League last season, scoring 18 goals in 25 appearances.

Outgoing Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper Paul Robinson admits he would ‘love’ to return to Leeds United.

The former England number one will be released by Rovers when his contract expires on July 1.

Robinson has been linked with a move back to the club where he started his career. And the 35-year-old, speaking on talkSPORT, said: “I’d love to go back to Leeds.

“I saw something in the papers the other week but I was not sure how true it was or where it came from.

“I’ve had nothing at the moment, there’s been no talk or contact.”

Robinson will leave Ewood Park after seven years and 202 appearances for the club. The fans’ favourite has not featured in a Rovers matchday squad since losing his place between the posts to Jason Steele in September.

Robinson, who was one of the club’s biggest earners, said: “I’ve been training the last eight months on my own, which has been difficult and unusual for me, as it’s a situation I’ve not been used to.

“Now I’ve got to wait and see what comes up and see what offers I get.”

The 35-year-old has no intention of retiring and has said he still has the hunger to play on. Recently, Robinson said: "[I am] very much looking forward to continuing my playing career and a new challenge."


Leeds are his most-likely destination and it would give him the chance to end his career where it all started. Robinson is said to be keen on the move as well, according to reports. Robinson made over 100 Premier League appearances for Leeds, emerging as one of the best young English goalkeeper of his generation before making the move to Tottenham upon Leeds' relegation to the second tier in 2004.

In September 2004, Paul Robinson scored an injury-time equaliser against Swindon Town which put himself on legendary status in the West Yorkshire region. The video is here:


After four years at White Hart Lane, Robinson made the move back up North to Blackburn, and whilst he has over 200 appearances for the club, his time at Ewood Park is now coming to an end.

A move to Leeds may be considered as something of a surprise considering that Leeds already have Marco Silvestri at their disposal, but with Stuart Taylor set to become a free agent this summer, Leeds may want another experienced goalkeeper to sit behind Silvestri next term.

Robinson may want a final shot at first team football, but if he was to be offered a return to Elland Road, it may be too good to turn down - and fans would surely welcome him back too.

Crystal Palace winger Tom Ince has also been mentioned as a midfield target, with Chesterfield’s Tendayi Darikwa a lower profile player linked with the club by The Sun in the gossip section of Team Talk.

Robinson is a great keeper for the Championship. Can't believe Austin was released though!

Uwe Rösler has been confirmed as the new head coach at Leeds United, signing a two-year deal.

The German, 46, out of work since being sacked by Wigan Athletic last November, becomes the fifth permanent head coach/manager under the tenure of owner Massimo Cellino following Brian McDermott, David Hockaday, Darko Milanic and Neil Redfearn.

The Elland Road club have called a press conference for 2.15pm and will confirm Rösler’s appointment after holding talks with the former Wigan Athletic and Brentford boss yesterday. Rösler, 46, is poised to replace existing head coach Neil Redfearn and become United’s fifth first-team boss in the space of a year as owner Massimo Cellino looks for another fresh start.

The 58-year-old Italian, who staged a bizarre hour-long press conference at Elland Road last week, which involved the Italian taking a ten minute cigarette break, leaving new backroom arrival Adam Pearson to answer all questions, is not intending to be present at this afternoon’s gathering. Rosler will be joined instead by new club director Adam Pearson.


The ex-Manchester City striker has been out of work since being sacked by Wigan in November of last year. He guided the Latics to both the Championship play-offs and the FA Cup semi-final during his first season in charge but failed to replicate that success. His opportunity at the DW Stadium was earned on the strength of two-and-a-half years in charge of Brentford.

Redfearn, meanwhile, remains under contract at Elland Road until June 30 but his situation could be clarified at today’s press conference. The 49-year-old’s deal gives him the right to return to his old job as academy boss but Redfearn looks likely to leave the club after a scathing attack on him by Cellino in the Sunday Mirror last weekend.


Cellino said: “He has to respect the chairman. He has to respect the club. He’s like a baby.

“He’s been badly advised and used by someone. He is not a bad person but he has a weak personality.”