BBC Leeds journalist Adam Pope has delivered his verdict about Jean-Kevin Augustin and his time at Elland Road.
Pope was recently a guest on the latest episode of Off The Ball’s ‘The Football Show’ podcast and he was talking about many things involving the Yorkshire club, and briefly focused on the demands of Bielsa’s methods.
Augustin arrived at Leeds in January from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig. That spell has now ended and he has returned to Leipzig, though it has been reported by Sport Bild (via Sport Witness) that Leeds have an obligation to buy the player if they are promoted, despite the Frenchman having a limited time on the pitch in Leeds colours and struggling with injuries during his time at the club.
While talking about the striker’s time at Leeds, Pope focused on how January signings can struggle under Marcelo Bielsa:
“You are two years in now, so they know what to expect. It’s still very difficult, the Murderball sessions where they play intense 11 against 11 – something during the suspension, they were gagging to get back to. It really is a tough and strenuous regime. And if you don’t get up to speed, it’s very difficult for players coming in January.
Should Leeds sign Augustin permanently?
Not at all
I'd like that
“Look at Jean-Kevin Augustin, coming in from Leipzig via Monaco, he’s not got down to the weight, he took an injury in February. Maybe he’s recovered, but he’s just not got into the rhythm of it and hence his services are not needed at this time. And that just shows you how difficult it is to get up to speed halfway through a season. You really do need that pre-season with Bielsa, I feel, to be able to match his standards.”
Pope clearly feels that the fact that Augustin joined Leeds in January is a major reason for why he had fitness issues. And because of Bielsa’s ‘strenuous’ methods, players can find it tough to settle in if they join in January.
TIF Thoughts…
Augustin could make only three appearances in the Championship in the 2019/20 season, playing just 48 minutes in the league for the first team.
Last month, the 23-year-old had reportedly pulled up with an issue in training and it was believed to be a recurrence of a previous hamstring injury, which was a sign of the struggles he experienced at Leeds and that he perhaps couldn’t cope with the methods of the Argentine boss.
So this should come as a lesson to Leeds and the club’s board that they should particularly help Bielsa with signing players in the summer – or any January signings could struggle exactly like Augustin did.