Victor Orta says Marcelo Bielsa was ‘really excited’ when Jean-Kevin Augustin was presented as a target

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Leeds United’s big transfer need for this month was to fill their striker vacancy created by the departure of Eddie Nketiah. After a fruitless pursuit of Southampton’s Che Adams, the Whites eventually got their hands on, arguably, a more eye-catching recruit. 

French talent Jean-Kevin Augustin has joined the club on loan with the view to a permanent deal. Leeds United’s director of football Victor Orta has now been discussing the move. 

He spoke to Leeds United’s official website about the deal, thanking the player’s agent and explaining how a deal came about. 

But he also explained how head coach Marcelo Bielsa reacted to the news of Augustin potentially being a realistic target.

“Yes of course.  Obviously Marcelo Bielsa has a massive knowledge of French football and as he’s said in press conferences, I always propose players and we discuss our skills.  He knows the players I recommend to him need to fit any requirement of our style of play.  

“When I gave the name of Augustin, Marcelo and his staff had a lot of information and data from France and Marcelo was really excited and believed he would be a good fit for us.  We then started to work harder to get this player for the head coach.”

TBR’s View

To hear that Bielsa was so excited about Augustin is a huge boost to Leeds United fans. In the past, some players at Elland Road have simply not fitted the Argentine’s style and mentality. The likes of Samuel Saiz and Izzy Brown spring to mind. 

However, Augustin is clearly a player that Bielsa already thinks highly of and that can only help him become an immediate hit at Elland Road. 

Leeds fans will just be hoping that Augustin does indeed justify Bielsa’s initial excitement.