Report claims Leeds United had no plan B had Marcelo Bielsa walked away

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Marcelo Bielsa will be Leeds United’s manager again next season. He has agreed to continue for the second year of his contract at Elland Road after narrowly missing out on promotion in 2018-19.

It is huge news for Leeds fans, who have fallen in love with Bielsa. It was feared a long and stressful season, coupled with potential financial constraints this summer, might have seen the rarely settled Argentine move on. But the project at Leeds clearly still appeals to ‘El Loco’ and he will hope to win promotion next season.

Leeds, it seems, were never even contemplating the idea that Bielsa would not stay. As reported by the Yorkshire Evening Post there were ‘no active thoughts’ or ‘contingencies’ among the Leeds United hierarchy over who could replace Bielsa if he did decide to step down.

It seems chairman Andrea Radrizzani, managing director Angus Kinnear and director of football Victor Orta have a clear vision for Leeds next season. At no point did that vision not include Bielsa.

On the one hand, that is commendable. It is also likely a major reason why Bielsa is sticking around, the faith his bosses have in his ability.

But it could have backfired if Leeds found themselves scrambling for a manager this summer. Thankfully it hasn’t and Leeds United fans can strap themselves in for another rollercoaster ride of a season under the enigmatic Argentine’s stewardship.