Once again, Jesse Marsch has backed out of an opportunity to return to the Premier League.
Just two months after he was sacked by Leeds and subsequently turned down the chance to take over Southampton, the American has again seen a Premier League job opportunity vanish at the last minute — this time at Leicester City.
After Brendan Rodgers was sacked earlier this month, reports emerged over the weekend that Marsch was the front-runner to take over the relegation-threatened Foxes.
But that deal has fallen through, with Dean Smith now taking over Leicester on an interim basis.
According to The Telegraph: “Marsch is understood to feel that the club would need a different kind of manager in the Championship next season if they were to be relegated – as well as a different profile of player to the one that he is accustomed to recruiting.”
It would appear that the Leicester job is the second Premier League managerial position in a row that could have been Marsch’s if he wanted.
Marsch was very nearly snapped up by Southampton just over a week after he was dismissed by Leeds, but a disagreement over his contract length at St. Mary’s saw a deal fall apart at the last moment.
Much like Southhampton (and Leeds), Leicester is in serious relegation trouble. Despite having a talented squad featuring the likes of James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and Harvey Barnes, the Foxes currently sit in 19th place, one place above the bottom and two points from safety.
Marsch is clearly being choosy about his next position, but it’s unclear if better Premier League jobs will be forthcoming. The American did an admirable job at Leeds, saving the club from relegation last year and constructing a team this season that was statistically outperforming its position in the league.
But Leeds was — and is — still in deep relegation trouble, which won’t result in top-tier Premier League sides beating down Marsch’s door.
He’ll likely manage in Europe again, but Marsch may have seen his window of opportunity in the Premier League close — at least for now.
[lawrence-related id=17134,16580,15803]