Gary O’Neil eyed for possible Premier League return to keep strugglers in top flight

Gary O’Neil is being lined up for a potential managerial return, talkSPORT understands.

The 42-year-old is a candidate to replace Daniel Farke at Leeds United if the German is sacked.

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Leeds currently sit 18th in the Premier League following their promotion last season.

Farke’s side have lost their last four matches and are on a run of win win in eight in the league.

It is a run of results which has seen pressure mount on the Leeds boss in recent weeks.

A furious supporter even approached him in the dugout at Elland Road during last month’s defeat to Aston Villa.

Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers have both been eyed for the role if Leeds make a change.

Leeds are in the midst of a challenging run of fixtures following recent matches against Villa and Manchester City.

They host Chelsea on Wednesday, which is live on the talkSPORT app, before a visit from champions Liverpool on Saturday evening.

Despite their poor form, Leeds are only in the bottom three on goals scored and could climb as high as 16th by beating the Blues.

Leeds eye O’Neil

O’Neil is the latest name to enter the frame at Leeds thanks to his experience of Premier League relegation battles.

He has previously kept both Bournemouth and Wolves in the top-flight already in his managerial career.

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The former midfielder took over from Scott Parker at the Cherries during the 2022/23 season.

At the time of his arrival in August, Bournemouth had just three points from four matches and were fresh from a 9-0 loss to Liverpool.

O’Neil would go on to win 10 of his 34 Premier League matches in charge to secure a 15th place finish and avoid the drop by five points.

Having left the Vitality Stadium at the end of the campaign, he was appointed as Wolves manager just two months later.

Survival was once again secured by O’Neil as his side finished 14th in the table.

He would remain in charge until December 2024 and has been away from the dugout since.

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O’Neil has been linked with a return on several occasions, though, most recently at Southampton.

It came after he had turned down a Wolves comeback following the sacking of his successor Vitor Pereira.

Sheffield United also eyed O’Neil back in the summer after their play-off final defeat at Wembley Stadium.