Leeds United's Championship rivals name 45-year-old ex-Arsenal starlet as new manager

Leeds United’s fellow Championship side Cardiff City have turned to Omer Riza as their new manager. The Bluebirds have confirmed his appointment on a permanent basis following his interim spell in charge.

The 45-year-old has put pen-to-paper on a deal until the end of the season with the Bluebirds. He took over from Erol Bulut on a caretaker basis earlier in this campaign and has now landed the full-time gig after winning four of his 12 games in charge.

Leeds beat Cardiff 2-0 away back in September after goals by Largie Ramazani and Joel Piroe. Their opponents went down to 10 men in the game at the Cardiff City Stadium following left-back Joel Bagan’s red card.

Riza has said: “I am delighted to be able to continue to lead this brilliant football club, and would like to thank Tan Sri Vincent and the Board of Directors for the opportunity.

“We have made real progress during the last few weeks, and I look forward to continuing our work on the training pitch over the coming months. I’m very excited for the remainder of the season, and hope that you Bluebirds fans are looking forward to joining us.”

‘Seen a change’...

Their owner Vincent Tan added: “We’ve clearly seen a change for the better in playing style and performance during Omer’s time as Interim Manager with some encouraging results. After careful consideration in recent weeks as to what the best decision was for the Club and this squad of players, I’m very pleased to give Omer this opportunity and wish him well.

“Our targets, clearly, are to climb the Championship table and further develop a squad that has youth and ability at its core. I thank our supporters for their patience during this critical review period and hope we can all enjoy better times during the remainder of this season.”

Riza was a striker during his playing days and started out as a youngster in Arsenal’s academy. He then went on to have spells with the likes of West Ham, Cambridge United, Shrewsbury Town, Aldershot Town and Boreham Wood.

The London-born man also had stints abroad at Denizlispor and Trabzonspor. He delved into the managerial world with Cheshunt in non-league in 2013. Riza then held coaching roles with Heybridge Swifts, Leyton Orient, Watford and England Under-17’s. Cardiff came calling in June this year and he linked up with Bulut.

It has been a tough first few months of the campaign for the Bluebirds though and he now has the chance to show what he can do on a full-time basis. They are in action this weekend against his former club Watford at home as they look to build on their 2-2 away draw against Coventry City last time out.

As for Leeds, they take on Derby County at Elland Road as they aim to bounce back from their defeat to Blackburn Rovers in their last outing. The Whites are 3rd in the table behind Sheffield United and Burnley as they eye promotion.