This week saw the Leeds United players return to training and with the new Premier League season just four weeks away Leeds fans are keen to know if and when Marcelo Bielsa will be signing a new contract to remain as head coach next season. But in an interview released this week on the Square Ball podcast, Leeds United’s managing director Angus Kinnear revealed that “it’s just not a priority” for Marcelo Bielsa like it is for everyone else.
Whilst contracts and salaries are a big part of the modern game, it is not what motivates Marcelo Bielsa. After all, he gave away a large proportion of his first seasons wage to his old club Newell’s Old Boys to improve their training facilities. He’s just got more important stuff on his plate with such a short turnaround before the new season. Further improvements to the training ground ahead of the new season, creating training plans, analysing the new opposition and identifying transfer targets are all much more of a priority to Bielsa than signing his contract.
Despite the contact still not having been signed the club are not concerned, they’d like him to hurry up and sign but there’s no anxiety about it. It doesn’t sound like Bielsa is holding any sort of threat over them, they’re very much working together and the club are adamant they’ll get good business done in this window. Bielsa is meeting with Victor Orta almost daily to speak about transfers and planning for the new season. There’s a great deal of optimism within the club for the season ahead.
The fans may be anxious, but it doesn’t look like Bielsa is going anywhere. Bielsa has remained in Wetherby, studying his papers in Costa coffee, stopping for selfies with fans in the high street, going for Sunday lunch at Piccolino with the family, walking back from Thorp Arch in his new adidas training gear, even catching the Number 52 bus to Elland Road all whilst technically working for free. Every player who has signed for the club this window has mentioned Bielsa as a big part of their reason for signing. There is nothing to suggest he is leaving!
When he finally does free up time to put pen to paper everything will fall into place. Continuity was key to last season and our promotion push and it will be again in our bid for survival next season. The improvement in the players during Bielsa’s first season was remarkable enough but last season they improved further and developed their style into one capable of winning the Championship by ten points. The Premier League is undoubtedly a step up but what he can do in the Championship I’m so excited for Bielsaball to be unleashed on the Premier League next season.
The full hour long interview with Angus Kinnear is avaialble on The Extra Ball podcast with a shorter version due to be released in this weeks Square Ball podcast available online or via your regular podcast service
