Richard Keys claimed that Leeds United talked Marcelo Bielsa out of leaving ahead of him conducting his impromptu press conference on Wednesday.
The 61-year-old sports presenter boldly suggested that he believed there was something to the suggestion on social media that Bielsa’s departure was a possibility, as he shared he thought the club talked the manager down.
Marcelo Bielsa not only admitted to 'spying' on rival teams but went on to explain how and why he did it. But isn't this classed as 'doing your homework'..? ?#KeysandGray pic.twitter.com/Q7NpPNojsn
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) January 18, 2019
“Social media suggestions on the day of that press conference were that it was called to announce he was leaving and I think Leeds talked him back, said Keys on beIN SPORTS, as seen on a clip (1:25) on their official social media account.
Bielsa press conference actually ended up being about the recent spy scandal surrounding the club and he ended up given an insight into his workings, with talkSPORT uploading a full transcript of the conference.
OPINION
The social media suggestion that Bielsa was going to quit or that his press conference was to announce his exit was all a result of Leeds fans fearing the worst. Several jumped the gun and this led to the suggestion being discussed on social media. However there’s been no implication or verified report that suggested an Elland Road exit was ever on the cards for Bielsa recently, so for Keys to claim that he believes the club must have talked him down is not just bold, it’s kind of absurd. While it may have just been a throwaway comment from the presenter, it seemed an odd thing to add and it implies that scenario which seems simply unlikely was in fact possible. It’s hard to see Bielsa walking away from Leeds anytime soon as he has transformed their fortunes and seems like he’s leading them straight into the Premiership. Therefore it’s hard to fathom that a man so close to achieving great success with the Whites would leave before the job is done.