Leeds consider sacking Javi Gracia with Sam Allardyce and Alan Pardew options for last four games – Paper Round

Alan Pardew and Sam Allardyce are said to be options as Leeds consider sacking Javi Gracia and appointing a third manager this season. Leeds have lost four of their last five Premier League games to fall deeper into the relegation scrap, with the club level on points with Nottingham Forest. It appears three of Southampton, Everton, Leicester, Forest and Leeds will go down, and Leeds are considering another change in the dugout in the hope it steers them to safety.

The Guardian writes: “Should the board decide to dismiss the Spaniard, they will need to identify another manager. With feasible options limited at this late stage of this season, it is possible they could reinstate Michael Skubala as interim head coach for the final four matches of the campaign.

“Skubala, formerly the club’s reserve coach, briefly took the reins between Marsch’s exit and Gracia’s appointment and has since been serving as a first-team coach. He remains well regarded by both senior players and club executives, but it may be felt that a more experienced manager would elicit a better response from a squad lacking in form and confidence. Alan Pardew is a possible option, as is Lee Bowyer, a former Elland Road midfielder who has managed Charlton and Birmingham in recent years.”

The Athletic report Allardyce is also being considered.

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Arsenal are keeping tabs on Marc Guehi with the Crystal Palace defender also on Tottenham’s radar, the Daily Mail reports. Arsenal are said to be looking at centre-back options this summer after William Saliba’s injury left the Gunners short in defence as they looked to maintain their advantage in the title race. That ended when Manchester City beat them last week, and now 22-year-old Guehi is being mooted as a summer target with Rob Holding’s contract also expiring next year.

“They also checked on Dinamo Zagreb's Croatia international defender Josip Sutalo, 23, last week,” the Mail adds.

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Tottenham sent scouts to watch Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse ahead of a potential summer move for the midfielder, the Daily Mail reports. Southampton are currently bottom of the Premier League and could be set to lose their top players if they go down to the Championship. That includes the influential Ward-Prowse, who is not the only player on Spurs’ radar when the transfer window opens this summer.

The Mail writes: “It's expected Southampton will clear out the majority of their squad if they are to be in the Championship next season, while Tottenham too will look to re-build.

“As Mail Sport revealed, Spurs have another Newcastle target, Leicester City's £50m-rated James Maddison as their priority for the creative midfield slot but they are also monitoring Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White for that role. Maddison could leave Leicester in the summer, especially if they are relegated, and is being monitored by several of the Premier League's top teams ahead of a summer bid.”

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Chelsea may be focusing on a summer clear-out but they remain interested in Youssouf Fofana, the France midfielder also wanted by Liverpool – the Mail reports. With Mason Mount and Edouard Mendy among the players who could leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, Fofana could be one incoming after impressing in Ligue 1.

“Strasbourg gave him a second chance after their scouts spotted him playing amateur football and he has gone on to establish himself at Monaco, even coming on in the World Cup final,” the Mail writes.

“Chelsea, who also admire Southampton's Romeo Lavia, know Fofana well thanks to co-sporting director Laurence Stuart who joined from Monaco last October. However, they will try to clear players out first to reduce squad size for incoming manager Mauricio Pochettino.”