Leeds United set to sack Marcelo Bielsa, statement due within hours on Sunday
Leeds United are set to sack Marcelo Bielsa and release a statement confirming that news today [27 February], according to The Times.
The newspaper reports that Jesse Marsch is expected to replace Bielsa, 66, in charge at Elland Road after the Whites’ 4-0 loss at home to Tottenham on Saturday saw them move to within two points of the Premier League relegation zone.
It is understood that relegation back to the Championship is a “growing concern” among Leeds’ hierarchy and they’re now willing to act and sack Bielsa in a bid to stay up.
The Times adds that Bielsa’s fate will be taken out of his own hands and Leeds will confirm his departure within the coming hours on Sunday
Sacking not right
If Andrea Radrizzani has decided to sack Bielsa, then that’s the wrong decision.
Bielsa has done wonders for Leeds United and while he may not be the man to keep us in the Premier League, we really don’t think anyone else will.
Our squad is so finely tuned to his tactics that we fear that a change of leadership would cause an unfixable problem and, if anything, accelerate our return to the Championship.
Whoever replaces Bielsa will have a really difficult job because they’ll really need to oversee a massive improvement just to be considered as not being a flop.
Marsch was sacked by Leipzig in December after just a few months in charge and before them, he’s managed Montreal, New York Red Bulls and Red Bull Salzburg. He’s either managed in Canada or for Red Bull clubs, failing at the most successful of those.
We’d be worried by Marsch, in all honesty, and we’d rather see Bielsa stay.
If he’s resigned then that’s fair enough and that’s on him. But Leeds are shooting themselves in the foot here if they think they can sack Bielsa and find an upgrade.
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay has dropped a nine-word update on the situation at Elland Road with Bielsa.