RUMOR: Ronny Deila new favorite for Atlanta United job?

The winds are blowing in that direction…

Suddenly a new candidate has emerged as a possible solution to Atlanta United’s head coaching situation.

Early on Wednesday, murmurs began surfacing that former Celtic and NYCFC manager Ronny Deila could be the name we’ve all been patiently waiting to hear for the Five Stripes’ head coaching vacancy.

Doug Roberson reported that the club has interest in the 49-year-old, while Apple TV’s Taylor Twellman came over top to proclaim that Deila is the new favorite to land the job.

This is the first concrete rumor linking a name to the job since Patrick Vieira was deemed the supposed frontrunner months ago before taking another job during Atlanta’s improbable playoff run.

The big obstacle preventing this appointment from happening would be Deila having a contract with Saudi Arabian club Al Wahda. Rumors began circulating on Wednesday that he has departed that post, possibly to join Atlanta, but nothing official has been announced.

On the surface, Deila seems to fit all of the criteria laid out by Garth Lagerwey during this exhaustive search. He has extensive knowledge of MLS and has a history of winning titles in multiple leagues. Back in 2021, he lead NYCFC to an MLS Cup triumph.

Take all of this with a grain of salt and rumors in soccer can make anyone look foolish. But this seems to be the strongest lead we have so far and it’s worth keeping an eye on.