Leeds United chief Angus Kinnear has revealed the extraordinary lengths that Marcelo Bielsa had gone to prior to being appointed the new manager at Elland Road.
The veteran manager, whose last spell in the dugout was at French side Lille back in 2017, was confirmed as the Whites’ new boss on Friday, taking charge two weeks after the club had sacked Paul Heckingbottom after his short time at the club.
Prolonged negotiations led to much speculation over whether Leeds would be able to pull off such an ambitious capture, and managing director Kinnear revealed that the Argentinian boss had undergone comprehensive research of the club, including the stunning decision to watch every minute of the Whites’ games last season.
He told Sky Sports News (15/06), as quoted by Twitter account LUFCDATA: “We were blown away by his knowledge in the meetings we had with him.
“When Andrea first met with him, he had already watched every single minute of every Leeds game from last season. He had a very clear perspective on the team’s strengths and weaknesses.”
https://twitter.com/LUFCDATA/status/1007563374371246081
Opinion
There will be many Leeds fans sending their sympathies the way of Bielsa after hearing that he had chosen to watch every minute of every game from last season, for it hardly made for exciting watching. He would have been keeping a close eye on certain individuals throughout, judging whether or not they were worthy of keeping their place in the team, while getting an overall feel for where the real weaknesses in the team are. It is a mammoth task but one Bielsa felt was necessary to really get a feel for the club and the challenge which lies ahead for him. No wonder Kinnear and co were so keen on bringing him in to Elland Road – his eye for detail and dedication to the cause are second to none and it really is an exciting time for the club, after so many years of frustration and anger at the way the Whites have failed to progress.