COMMENT

Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani will know that the future of the club's fortunes lie directly in his hands as he ponders who to appoint in place of the departing Thomas Christiansen. As exclusively revealed by

Football Insider 

on Sunday night,

the Whites were to axe the Danish manager from his role after the club's most disappointing run of form, which has not seen them win a game in seven matches, their last victory coming against Burton Albion on Boxing Day.

The Whites proceeded to confirm the news shortly after, via both their

official Twitter account

and

website

.

While some fans may be excited at the prospect of ridding themselves of their current boss, there must be the consideration of what may come next, as there is no guarantee that a new manager will be any more successful than the outgoing figure. As a result, the Whites board need to carefully consider their next step after what is something of a knee jerk reaction, and the next appointment could make or break the club's success not just for the rest of the current campaign, but for the long term. Here,

Football Insider 

picks out three available managerial targets that the club must be looking at bringing to Elland Road, including a former Premier League boss who has experience at some of the world's biggest clubs.

Click below to find out the first manager the Whites should be targeting

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Mark Hughes - Last club: Stoke City

Former Stoke boss Hughes has not been out of the game long but there is every chance he would be tempted into a move back into management at a club like Leeds. They are a big club with a fantastic fanbase and it could be perfect for Hughes, who will no doubt have felt a little undervalued during his time with the Potters, which amounted to 200 games. With 445 matches worth of Premier League experience under his belt, not to mention time as a player under Sir Alex Ferguson, he has the pedigree to make a real impact at Elland Road. Tempting him to the club might be the biggest stumbling block, but Radrizzani should have Hughes high on his shortlist and at least make the call.

Click below to find out the next manager the Whites should be targeting

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Steve McClaren - Last club: Derby County

Former Derby and England boss Steve McClaren seems like the sort of manager who would relish at a club such as Leeds, although his time at Newcastle United may cast doubts over his ability to succeed at a bigger club. Having most recently worked at Maccabi Tel Aviv as a football adviser, he has admitted that he is ready to step back into management and Elland Road could be the perfect destination. With 118 Championship and 218 Premier League games under his belt as the boss, there are few more experienced managers available today, and if appointed now he could acclimatise this season before building a squad ready for promotion during the next campaign.

Click below to find out the next manager the Whites should be targeting

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Paul Clement - Last club: Swansea City

The former Swansea boss is a relative novice in terms of his managerial career, with 33 games at Derby and 40 more matches at the Swans all he has under his belt, but his experience as a coach is something to be envied. Working as an assistant coach under world renowned manager Carlo Ancelotti, Clement has worked at the likes of European giants Paris Saint Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, and so knows what it takes to succeed at a big club. Securing his signature would be a real coup but he could be the boss to take the Whites to the next level, and the contacts he has at his disposal would come second to very few in the footballing world. In other Leeds United news,

the club are set for an exciting summer transfer window.