Bielsa fulfils dream with Leeds job
MARCELO BIELSA (pix) revealed he is fulfilling a lifelong dream to work in England after Leeds United appointed him their new head coach on Friday.
The 62-year-old, whose 28-year managerial career includes memorable spells in charge of Argentina, Chile, Marseille and Lazio, has signed a two-year contract with a club option for a further year and arrives at Elland Road as the successor to Paul Heckingbottom, who was sacked in June just four months into his tenure after guiding Leeds to a 13th-place finish in the Championship.
Leeds’ decision to make the revered but outspoken Bielsa their ninth manager in the last four years has raised eyebrows, but the Argentine insisted that after turning down several offers to manage in England earlier in his career, he has found the “right project” for him.
“I am delighted to accept the role of head coach at Leeds United,” Bielsa told the club’s official website on the announcement of his appointment.
“It has always been my ambition to work in England and I have had several opportunities to do so during my career, however I have always felt it was important to wait for the right project to come along and so when a club with Leeds United’s history made me an offer, it was impossible to turn down.
“I am excited for the challenge ahead and I look forward to collaborating with Victor [Orta, director of football], Andrea and Angus [Kinnear, managing director], as we work hard to achieve great things at this football club.”
Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani added: “He is a coach that I have admired for many years and when the opportunity arose to bring him to Elland Road, we made it our top priority for the summer.
“Marcelo has a wealth of experience and he will use that to create a new culture and a winning mentality at our football club.
“I would like to thank Victor Orta and Angus Kinnear for all of the hard work that has gone into this appointment and I look forward to progressing together.”
Bielsa is widely credited with having a key influence on Pep Guardiola’s footballing philosophy as well as laying the foundations for Jorge Sampaoli’s historic success with the Chile national side, and he led Athletic Bilbao to the 2012 Europa League and Copa Del Rey finals.
But his uncompromising approach has also caused problems for him at previous clubs. In 2015 he resigned from Marseille immediately after the opening match of the Ligue 1 season due to disagreements with the club’s ownership, and the following year he also walked out of Lazio just two days after being appointed.
Bielsa’s most recent managerial job was at Lille, where he was dismissed after just 13 games in charge following a club suspension. – The Independent