Marcelo Bielsa ‘had to be sacked’ because of big Leeds plans from 49ers – Ian Ladyman
Marcelo Bielsa ‘had to be sacked’ by Leeds United because of the plans in place for the future of the club with the San Francisco 49ers, according to Daily Mail journalist Ian Ladyman.
The Whites ended the three-and-a-half-year tenure of Bielsa on Sunday after a run of nine defeats in 12 games left the club just two points above the drop zone in 16th place.
While the Argentine boss is revered around Elland Road and will go down as a legend, Leeds couldn’t afford to let him fail any longer according to Ladyman, because of the plans already in place for the club going forward.
Writing in his Daily Mail column, he says that San Francisco 49ers owner Paraag Marathe, who has been on the Leeds board since 2018, has big plans for the club’s development.
It’s expected that the 49ers will eventually increase their 44% stake in the club to take it over completely, which is why the club cannot afford to be relegated to the Championship with so much competition to be in the top flight.
If they go down, there is no assurance of being able to come straight back up and if that happens then the club will suffer further problems they don’t want.
Club first
Bielsa will always be a Leeds legend among fans and media, but what Ladyman says is true.
The club simply can’t afford to be relegated again, especially considering it took them 16 years to get back the last time it happened and they nearly went out of business in between.
It’s clear that while the players and fans were still behind Bielsa and his methods, they simply weren’t working anymore and a change was needed to bring about an upturn in their fortunes.
Nobody wanted the Bielsa tenure to end this way, he should’ve been able to go out on his own terms at the end of his contract. But the club has to come first because it was here before him and will be long after him.
The change is the right one and the club now need to hope that the new manager, expected to be Jesse Marsch, can deliver quickly to justify the decision and ensure Bielsa isn’t part of a horror story.
In other Leeds news, Phil Hay: Leeds watch manager for two years as major decision looms at Elland Road