The reign of Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United has begun with an axing after assistant coach Benat Lebaien confirmed that he would be leaving the club immediately.
The Spaniard, who arrived at Elland Road in the summer of 2017, revealed his exit via his personal Twitter account, leaving a heartfelt message about his time with the Whites as well as thanking director of football Victor Orta for placing his trust in him.
@LUFC pic.twitter.com/gFfEB2YtNe
— Beñat Labaien (@blabaien) June 15, 2018
The former Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid man appears to be the first departure under the Argentinian manager, who was confirmed as the new boss on Friday, as he looks to building his own backroom team before pre-season starts.
Opinion
It should come as no surprise that Labaien has found himself let go from his role at Elland Road, for Bielsa will be seeking to bring in names of his own to fill up his coaching staff. The fact the departing coach lasted under both Thomas Christiansen and Paul Heckingbottom proves he must have been doing something right but while fans will be baying for fresh blood on the pitch, they will also be welcoming in some new faces behind the scenes. This will leave many more of the staff worrying that they will play no part under Bielsa, and should leave the players feeling pretty nervous too. The veteran coach has wasted no time in clearing out those he feels will play no part in the future of the club and that will apply to the playing staff as well. They will have to perform out of their skins during pre-season training to keep their places, and it looks like another summer of change is on the cards at the Whites.