‘Incredible’ – Insider claims Bielsa was offered job by billionaire owned-club in summer
Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa was offered a job by the billionaire-owned (Manchester) City group in the summer, according to the author of his biography.
Tim Rich, author of The Quality of Madness, said that Bielsa was offered the job to manage Girona but chose to stay at Leeds because of the loyalty shown to him by the club and the ‘incredible’ link to and passion shown by the Leeds fans.
In his second season, Bielsa has steered Leeds to the top of the Championship with just nine games left to play.
“I think it’s one of those things where they [Leeds] fulfilled their end of the bargain,” Rich said on talkSPORT.
“Right at the end, when they blew up against Derby, he came, they don’t have a press conference room, but a converted bar, and he came in and you thought ‘he’s going to resign now’ and he didn’t. He said he’d think about things.
“Now, I think they held onto him because they have fulfilled their side of the bargain. They backed him as much as they could, the fans, I think he had an incredible… the thing about Bielsa, he loves passionate fans. Whether it’s at Bilbao, Marseille or Leeds United.
“He felt I think that he owed something to the club and I think he definitely owed something to Leeds United’s fans. We all waited in that summer for him to go somewhere else more exotic. I know he was offered a job by the City football group to take charge of Girona, which they own.
“He’s obviously quite close to Pep Guardiola but he kept on at Leeds but I think that’s a tremendous tribute to Leeds United.”
When Bielsa chose to stay at Leeds it was a huge moment in the history of the club and when he turned down billionaire-owned Girona, he proved he’s not in it for the money.
After initially saying it would be hard to replicate the same level from the same group of players, Bielsa has arguably made them even better in the 19/20 season.
Leeds are closer now then they’ve ever been to getting back in the Premier League and if Bielsa seals the deal he’ll go down as a legend at Elland Road, if he’s not already.
The Leeds fans are the most passionate in the country and they can take a huge bow for playing their part in getting Bielsa to stay.
And the party that happens if Leeds do get promoted and when the fans are let back in Elland Road for the first time will be something else.
That will be the ultimate payback for Bielsa.
In other Leeds United news, ‘Not going to be easy’ – Shearer delivers advice to Leeds players nine games away from promotion