McDermott exit inevitable after Cellino took Leeds reins

There are no surprises when something is expected. Brian McDermott leaving Leeds United has had an air of inevitability about it ever since the ‘was he, wasn’t he’ removed from his position at Elland Road debacle at the end of the January transfer window.

Few managers have had more lousy luck with new ownership in recent times than this quietly thoughtful and dignified man.

He took Reading back into the Premier League in 2012, only for Russian tycoon Anton Zingarevich, who took over in their Berkshire boardroom from Sir John Madejski, to sack him the following March. The Royals were subsequently relegated under Nigel Adkins.

McDermott resurfaced at Leeds just a month later, but in little over a year is again out of work as Massimo Cellino completed his protracted takeover.

Continuing the themes of inevitability and no surprise, all the early market leaders are compatriots of the Italian corn magnate.

During the late 1990s, it became somewhat fashionable for Serie A stars to come and ply their trade in England.

Benito Carbone (7/2 to fill the vacancy in the dugout), given the somewhat grey title of ‘Special Consultant’ at Elland Road, had a tour of Yorkshire and the Midlands before half a season on loan at Middlesbrough in 2002 ended a six-year spell in Britain.

In fact, the Teesside outfit is the common denominator among a couple of other rumoured candidates. Gianluca Festa (10/1), a former Cagliari player and coach that worked closely with Cellino at the Sardinian side, made over 150 appearances at the Riverside between 1997 and 2002.

Fabrizio Ravanelli (25/1), a Champions League winner no less with Juventus, also spent a season at Boro, but his scoring exploits could not save them from relegation.

His own foray into management has not been successful so far either, as he was sacked by Corsican club Ajaccio after just five months in charge, and they went on to be relegated from France’s Ligue 1.