Leeds United’s director of football Victor Orta told Andrea Radrizzani that Marcelo Bielsa would be the ideal man for the job, according to Phil Hay. During a Q&A session on The Athletic’s website, he said the pair discussed the matter during a car ride.
A fan asked: “Were Radz, Angus and Ortz drunk when they rang Bielsa for the job? It’s just how I imagine it went down.”
Hay replied: “Orta and Radrizzani were travelling in a car when AR asked VO who his ideal pick for the job would be. Orta said Bielsa. AR told him to try his luck and Bielsa was responsive.”
Following the conversation between the pair, Orta was instructed to ‘try his luck’ and it appears his approach was well received by the Argentinian coach.
The 64-year-old took over as the club’s boss in July 2018 having previously managed Argentina, Chile and Marseille amongst others (via Transfermarkt.co.uk). Since his arrival, Bielsa has taken charge of 91 matches, winning 49, drawing 16 and losing 26.
TIF Tactics – The right man for the job
Leeds United have significantly improved under his leadership and currently sit at the top of the Championship, hoping to secure promotion back to the Premier League for the first time since they were relegated at the end of the 2003/04 season.
The Whites missed out on promotion last season when they suffered defeat in the play-off semi-finals at the hands of Frank Lampard’s Derby County, but despite that, their third-place finish in 2018/19 highlights their vast improvement considering they finished 13th the season before.
Can Bielsa make Leeds an established Premier League side once again?
Yes
No
Victor Orta, the man who was arguably responsible for Bielsa’s arrival at Elland Road, previously worked as part of the technical and recruitment staff at Sevilla. Having also worked alongside Aitor Karanka at Middlesbrough, he already had an understanding of English football and that will, in our opinion, have helped him settle in at Leeds. As far as the negotiations between Bielsa and the director of football are concerned, Orta was once an agent, highlighting his versatility and we can assume his expertise in that field helped get a deal for Leeds’ current coach done.