Steinsson appointed Technical Director at Leeds United
Steinsson is a former Premier League defender with Bolton
Written by Simon Austin — July 18, 2023
GRETAR STEINSSON has been appointed Technical Director at Leeds United, replacing Victor Orta, who left the club in May.
The former Iceland international was Director of Football at Fleetwood Town from January 2015 to December 2018, Chief European Scout and Head of Recruitment and Development at Everton (December 2018 to January 2022) and Performance Director at Tottenham from July 2022 to June this year.
Steinsson, 41, was at Elland Road today to meet some of his new charges, while his appointment was announced to the whole staff via email. Nick Hammond, who was brought in last month as a transfer advisor, will continue in the role throughout the summer window.
Adam Underwood, who has been Academy Manager since 2009, will step up to the new role of Head of Football Operations, Club Secretary Hannah Cox has been appointed Head of Football Administration and Rob Price continues as Head of Medicine and Performance.
Chief Executive Angus Kinnear said: “We welcome Gretar to Leeds. We believe he will be a fantastic part of a new look team, which has been assembled to support (manager) Daniel (Farke) as we look to rebuild.
“Gretar, alongside the rest of the group, will manage the football department during this critical period.”
Steinsson, who played in the Premier League for Bolton, helped build Fleetwood Town’s Academy and scouting operation during his time with the club. He left after Joey Barton became manager and demanded more control of the football operation at the Lancashire club.
Steinsson was then brought into Everton by Director of Football Marcel Brands, with whom he had worked at AZ Alkmaar. Steinsson had been a player at the Dutch club, winning the league title under Louis Van Gaal, while Brands was Director of Football. His time with the Toffees ended when manager Rafa Benitez forced the exit of Brands.
His time at Tottenham, where he had the title of Performance Director, was short-lived. He was effectively number two to Fabio Paratici, the Managing Director of Football, but the Italian had to step down after being banned from football for his role in alleged false accounting at former club Juventus.
Two other people made the short-list for Steinsson’s role at Leeds: former Tottenham Technical Performance Director Steve Hitchen and Brentford Technical Director Lee Dykes.
Leeds today announced that the EFL has approved the sale of the club to 49ers Enterprises, "paving the way for the immediate transition of ownership."
Paraag Marathe, previously Vice Chairman and Board member of the club, has taken over as Leeds United Chairman. Angus Kinnear continues as CEO and will "continue to direct the Club’s day-to-day operations."
Leeds will now be recruiting for a new Academy Manager to replace Underwood. Underwood was at the helm when Leeds were promoted to Category One Academy status in 2020. The club placed eighth in our Academy Productivity Rankings for 2021/22.
READ MORE: Adam Underwood - Leeds' amazing productivity explained
