Leeds are on the brink of completing a deal that will see young Barnsley head-coach Paul Heckingbottom join the club. The highly rated coach has turned down offers from Norwich, Sunderland and Hull in recent times and is expected to take training at Thorp Arch tomorrow.
Leeds are set to pay the release clause in Henkingbottom’s contract that was only signed three days ago. The club have moved fast to appoint the Barnsley man and it’s fair to say there is a mixed reaction to the news. Many see Henckingbottom being at Barnsley as a step backwards for a club the size of Leeds United. The club are on a horrible run and they struggled to do any business in January which brings me onto my next point, and the fans who are more than happy to see Heckingbottom. He has worked wonders with Barnsley, leading them to promotion before a mid-table finish last season, as Barnsley fans point out he had all the best players he had developed sold from beneath him.
He is a coach who isn’t afraid to say what he thinks and change things if it isn’t going well for him. He was a 4-4-2 manager last season but has tried to change things about slightly to help his side out of the bad run. The deal will see a new direction for the team without a doubt, Heckingbottom will want to make his mark on the team and his first game will be against one of Barnsley’s and Leeds’ biggest local rivals in Sheffield United. My last point (I will go much deeper into this later) is that he has a very good reputation for bringing through young players and developing them, something that has been highlighted at Leeds in recent weeks.
