Radrizzani delivers verdict on Bielsa future at Leeds, discusses potential rolling contract
Andrea Radrizzani hopes manager Marcelo Bielsa can stay with Leeds United for a long time but admits decisions are likely to be made on a year by year basis.
Bielsa helped Leeds secure promotion to the Premier League last season and they have started their first top-flight campaign in 16 years well, winning three of their opening seven matches.
The Whites suffered a small setback against Leicester City last night, the Italian owner said he hopes the Argentine can remain with the club for a number of years.
“Well, I hope he can stay with us for a long time,” Radrizzani told beIN SPORTS on Monday.
“But we like to decide year by year because obviously as I said in another interview he’s not a young manager, he’s 65 and his family, his wife is often in Argentina. Hopefully he can stay longer – 60 is the new 40 these days.
“If not, I think what he’s building is the foundation for a proper club. I say that really convinced of his job, because it’s not only what you can see every game, but what he has done in terms of changing the facilities, the work ethic – they really reflect what I wanted to do in the club so I’m very pleased with his job.”
Transformative impact
The difference Bielsa has made at Leeds cannot be overstated, with the Elland Road club now playing some of the most exciting attacking football in the country.
From the start of the Premier League season, only three sides have generated more expected goals than Leeds (via FBRef), while only Manchester City and Liverpool have enjoyed more possession (via WhoScored).
Meanwhile, the Argentine has helped the likes of Patrick Bamford, Luke Ayling and Liam Cooper make the step up to the Premier League, with Kalvin Phillips even breaking into the England squad.
The question for Bielsa about his future will likely come down to how well Leeds can compete going forward.
Radrizzani has stated that his aim for the next few seasons is for the club to simply consolidate their position, but the Rosario native will surely continue to approach every match with the attacking intent that has made Leeds fan favourites.
Overall, second guessing Bielsa is a difficult task, so fans would be advised to just continue enjoying what has been a good start to the term and allow him to work out his own future.
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