OPINION
Leeds United fans knew their club had to pay mega money to land Marcelo Bielsa last summer.
What they wouldn’t have known is the extent of the financial ambition shown by the Yorkshire giants to lure one of the most respected men in football management.
That is made crystal clear in an explosive Daily Mail report that has left Andrea Radrizzani fuming, but does at least shed the club in a positive respect in one light; how far they are willing to go to secure the holy grail of Premier League promotion.
It is said Bielsa is paid £65,000-a-week by Leeds, a salary that is triple that of any other manager in the Championship.
Given there are plenty of other big names in the division – proven promotion winners like Tony Pulis and famous ex-players like Frank Lampard – that is an eye-bogglingly lucrative deal.
Moreover, Bielsa’s support staff are also quids in, with their combined deals costing Leeds a further £50,000-a-week, adding up to £115,000-a-week, or £6million-a-year.
Leeds’ transfer and playing staff budget is of a mid-table Championship club, but their managerial budget is that of an elite Premier League outfit.
While many have understandably railed at Radrizzani and the Elland Road hierarchy for their lack of transfer big spending over the last two years, the Bielsa deal does showed an appetite for getting the best when it suits.
Leeds fans in awe of their bucket-sitting manager won’t begrudge him a penny for how he has transformed the team’s fortunes.