Phil Hay has been speaking on the latest edition of The Athletic’s The Phil Hay Show about all things relating to Leeds United.
One of the players that he focused on was Mateusz Klich, and Hay revealed some new thoughts from Marcelo Bielsa on the Polish midfielder.
The 30-year-old has played 106 of Bielsa’s 110 games as Leeds manager prior to this weekend, and in that time, he has scored 19 goals and provided 17 assists.
This season has been no different from Klich, as he has taken to the Premier League well and has scored two goals and provided three assists in his first nine top-flight games.
His average rating is also a solid 6.85/10, which ranks him in seventh place in the Whites’ squad (as per WhoScored), so it should come as no surprise that Bielsa was full of praise for Klich, as Hay revealed the manager’s thoughts on the Pole.
He said: “He thinks Klich could play for the best teams in the world; he thinks, genuinely, Klich could play for just about any side.
“He said he’s at Leeds by chance.”
Do you agree with Bielsa on Klich?
No, he is good but couldn't play that level
Yes, he is that good
TIF Thoughts on Mateusz Klich and Marcelo Bielsa’s view on him…
Given the number of games that Klich has played for Bielsa, it should perhaps come as no surprise that the Argentine is only too happy to speak so highly of his midfielder, though while he has been impressive in Bielsa’s eyes, we are not sure he could play for any team in the world.
This is because before this season, Klich had played most of his career in the Championship, Eredivisie and the Polish Ekstraklasa, and at 30, he could be approaching the end of his career in the next few years or so.
However, we don’t think that this is a bad thing for Leeds because it could mean they can keep Klich, and considering his contract does not expire until 2024, he could still have a good few years left at Elland Road.