A shocking rumour has exploded the EFL Championship community concerning Leeds United’s next managerial head. The Whites are reportedly hopeful of appointing former Argentina head coach, Marcelo Bielsa as Paul Heckingbottom’s replacement ahead of the 2018/19 campaign.
Heckingbottom faced the sack earlier today as an aftermath of a rather disappointing season at the Elland Road outfit as they ended the season at a dismal 13th position in the league table following a series of losses and losing the momentum which they picked up at the start of the season by winning seven games on a trot.
What started out to be one of the most promising promotion chasing seasons in the English second division quickly turned into a dark and horror filled nightmare for the Leeds faithful. The finished the previous campaign in the 13th spot of the Championship, managing to shock the football world with their tragic dip in form.
Their front line struggled to find the back of the net and the defence looked vulnerable. Thomas Christiansen’s inadequacies could not be tolerated for long and had to be done away with earlier in the year. His replacement and former Barnsley boss, Paul Heckingbottom was tasked with returning the club to winning ways or at least stop the horrid losing streak.
The 40-year-old, in turn, could not place a finger on some of the real problems of the club and got stuck in the same loop as his predecessor. The players looked to be misfits in his system and little has changed so far and the club is hoping to bring a few new players to stable the ship.
Maybe the operational structure at Leeds could use a complete tectonic shift in the way they handle things. Purchasing cheap and very poorly scouted players from the far corners of Europe and appointing young managers with little experience has not worked in the recent past.
Bielsa could be the one to change all that. The 62-year-old has spent time in the Serie A and Ligue 1 previously and has years of international management under his belt. He took charge of Chile in between 2007 and 2011 to get the side their first official win over Argentina in an international fixture. He also guided the side to the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification and helped start a progressing movement in the footballing development of the country.
Bielsa led Argentina to the 2004 Olympic gold medal during his 6 years as head coach. He also got Atletico Bilbao to the UEFA Europa League final in the 2011/12 season and oversaw the signing and development for players like Ander Herrera (Manchester United) and Javi Martinez (Bayern Munich).
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Bielsa reeks of top-flight management experience and could do wonders if given full control of operations at Elland Road. Maybe Leeds should look into the prospects of signing him as soon as possible before some other European outfit provides him with a home.
