Marcelo Bielsa has revealed that he doesn’t expect to make any January signings at Leeds United despite the team’s chronic injury list.
United have four senior long-term absentees in Patrick Bamford, Izzy Brown, Luke Ayling and Gaetano Berardi that was added to this week by serious injuries to Liam Cooper and Stuart Dallas and also recently lost on-loan goalkeeper Jamal Blackman for the rest of the season.
But, speaking at his media conference on Thursday, as quoted by Yorkshire Evening Post correspondent Phil Hay, Bielsa said he “would rather work with and coach the squad he has” than make signings just for the sake of it.
The Argentine manager even claimed he might not sign a new goalkeeper despite Blackman returning to parent club Chelsea after breaking his leg.
even on the goalkeeper (replacement for Blackman), he doesn't want to say at this stage that a replacement will definitely come in. Nothing agreed on that front yet.
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) December 6, 2018
this shouldn't come as much of a surprise. It's what Bielsa does. Said today that quite often clubs sign players to be seen to be doing something in the window, or to try and mask problems. #lufc
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) December 6, 2018
OPINION
Bielsa being Bielsa? Unorthodox, single-minded and groundbreaking? Or, foolhardy and ridiculous? Take your pick. Leeds fans are learning to have faith in the decisions of the bucket-sitting mastermind of their campaign for automatic promotion. Incessant social media chatter about the January window providing all the answers to the team’s ills has been replaced by a realisation there is another way. Bielsa has spent his entire coaching career breaking new ground and sees no reason to buck the trend in his 60s. His faith in Leeds’ academy to cover for the senior absences is highly unusual, and completely different to most managers, who can’t even pick their youth-team players out at an identity parade. Bielsa will live or die by his methods, which are now becoming less and less of a surprise for supporters who have been blown away by the transformation of the team who finished 13th last season.