Leeds United can finally start preparing for a new era following confirmation that the 49ers Enterprises have agreed a full takeover of the club, buying out Andrea Radrizzani in what is seen as a major positive for the Championship club going forward.
The first port of call for the North American owners is finding a new manager following the failed experiment to hand the job to Sam Allardyce for the closing stages of last season, which ultimately ended in a disappointing relegation from the Premier League.
Former Rangers and Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard has been named as a possible candidate to take charge at Elland Road, while the likes of Brendan Rodgers and Scott Parker have also been linked.
After a period of upheaval in which the club have gone from Marcelo Bielsa to Allardyce via Jesse Marsch and Javi Gracia, it is imperative Leeds get their next appointment spot on if they are to have any hope of challenging for an immediate return to the top flight.
The next man in the dugout needs to have experience of the second tier and, more than that, understand what it means to be associated with United, who will undoubtedly have a target on their backs once again next season.
That is why former Leeds U23 coach Carlos Corberan, is in the running and could be ideally positioned to land the job.
Should Leeds appoint Carlos Corberan?
Corberan is now well known as a manager in his own right following spells in English football with Huddersfield Town and West Bromwich Albion, but it was during a three-year period with Leeds' U23 side he cut his teeth in the coaching world on these shores.
The Spaniard arrived at Elland Road in 2017 and was promoted to the position of first-team coach following the arrival of Bielsa the following year. Fan favourite Bielsa clearly saw something he liked in Corberan, who he described as a "very talented" coach and said he valued the latter's opinions "more than his own".
After balancing work as Leeds' first-team coach and U23 manager, it was inevitable Corberan would go on to become a senior manager in his own right, and so that proved in July 2020 when taking over at Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield.
Corberan guided an unfancied Huddersfield side to a third-place finish in his only season in charge, before losing 1-0 to Nottingham Forest in the play-off final. If not for a cruel own goal, Corberan could well have already been a Premier League manager.
The 40-year-old's decision to step down a little over a month later was surprising, and an underwhelming short spell with Olympiacos followed – where he took charge of just 11 matches – but he has got his career back on track with an impressive first season at West Brom.
Albion were second from bottom when Corberan took over 16 games into the 2022-23 season and, helped by a run of 10 wins in 12 games, finished ninth, missing out on the playoffs by just three points.
Corberan was highly praised by those within the club and was rewarded with a new contract, but links to Leeds persist. Those who have previously worked with the Spaniard, who favours a 4-2-3-1 formation, can also vouch for his coaching ability and also his likability.
"He's a great guy and so talented," former Leeds academy player Romario Vieira told Yorkshire Live. "When he told us how he wanted us to play, we thought he was crazy. Then it clicked and we were like, 'This guy's a genius'.
Corberan's contract situation will not make agreeing a deal straightforward, but should they do so, the 49ers Enterprises will pull off an early masterstroke to usher in a new era at Elland Road.