Leeds United are in a precarious position with uncertainty surrounding the takeover, sporting director and next manager still yet to be settled and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source on the club's pursuit to land Sam Allardyce's successor.
What's the latest on Leeds' interest in Carlos Corberan?
According to The Athletic's Leeds correspondent Phil Hay, the club have opened the door for Carlos Corberan to return to Elland Road this summer.
As per a report written for the publication, Hay claims that the former Leeds first-team coach is one of the many candidates being considered by the club and has revealed that the West Bromwich Albion manager has a release clause in his contract.
Will Carlos Corberan be the next Leeds manager?
It is no secret that Corberan boasts a unique relationship with the West Yorkshire club that could make him an extremely attractive prospect for the team and the supporters over any of the other candidates.
The 40-year-old coach polished and developed his successful managerial skill set under the guidance of Marcelo Bielsa, earning a promotion from leading the U23s to working alongside the Argentine in Leeds' rise from the second tier to top-flight football.
Now Corberan could follow in the footsteps of his mentor by providing some stability at the club and guiding them back to the Premier League, as well as using his experience and relationships with some of the players to improve their individual performances next season.
One player who could massively benefit from Corberan's return to Elland Road is Patrick Bamford, with the striker struggling for fitness and consistency in front of goal over the last two seasons.
The attacking-minded manager – hailed "talented" by Bielsa – has significantly improved West Brom's goal-scoring form since his arrival in October when the club were 23rd in the Championship table after tallying up just two wins in their first 16 outings.
Indeed, under Steve Bruce, they scored just 1.12 goals per game compared to the 1.39 under the Spaniard.
Despite losing his debut fixture against Sheffield United, Corberan went on to win the next nine out of ten league fixtures and ultimately lead his side to ninth – just three points shy of a playoff spot on the final day.
The former Huddersfield Town boss commonly deploys his teams in a 4-3-2-1 formation just like Bielsa – a formation that Bamford thrived in under his former manager in both the second tier and upon their promotion to the Premier League.
In the Championship winning season (2019/20) Bamford scored 16 goals and registered four assists and in his first top-flight season (2020/21), the Leeds striker found the back of the net 17 times and delivered eight assists, all whilst Corberan was still working alongside Bielsa.
With that being said, there is no doubt that Corberan would be warmly welcomed at Elland Road should he return this summer and if he could improve Bamford's goal-scoring consistency in the process it would put Leeds in a great position to compete in the Championship next season.