What Klich said to Victor Orta after being bombed out of Leeds by Christiansen
Mateusz Klich’s career at Leeds United was almost ended before it started as the player was sent out on loan by former manager Thomas Christiansen just months after signing.
According to his mother, Malgorzata, Klich couldn’t understand why he was bombed out of the club, but he told Leeds director of football Victor Orta that he would be back.
That’s one of the revelations in a fascinating long-read interview by Athletic journalist Phil Hay.
Klich has cemented his place in the Leeds squad after being rejected by former manager Christiansen.
He was sent out on loan to FC Utrecht just months after signing for Leeds for a fee of £1.5m.
“He didn’t really understand it,” said Malgorzata, “but he told Victor Orta that he would be back.”
And he’s lived up to his word.
The 29-year-old had a standout 18/19 season under Marcelo Bielsa, scoring 10 goals and adding eight assists.
He’s not reached the same heights this season but he’s proved his worth in other ways, controlling the game in the 3-2 win against Millwall in the absence of Kalvin Phillips.
And Malgorzata has admitted that Klich owes a debt of gratitude to Bielsa.
“He’d say these have been the best times of his career I think,” she said. “And he tells me he wishes he’d been coached by Bielsa 10 years earlier because if he had, he would be a better player.”
The Bielsa effect
It’s impossible to gauge the full impact Bielsa has had at Leeds.
However, his ability to get the most out of players when other managers have failed is undeniable.
Klich is an absolute lynchpin of the Leeds side now, yet Christiansen couldn’t even work out how to slot him into his team.
Kalvin Phillips is another player whose career has soared to new heights under Bielsa.
Leeds fans should also be grateful that Klich was determined to make it at the club.
Being shipped out on loan so soon after signing would have been a fatal blow for a lot of players.
We think Klich is Premier League quality and we hope he gets a chance to prove it with Leeds and Bielsa next season.
In other Leeds United news, ‘Hand a transfer request in; Disgraceful’: Many Leeds fans fume at comments from senior club man