Leeds United director of football Victor Orta has revealed that he was called “crazy” for appointing Marcelo Bielsa in June 2018.
The Spaniard has explained how his appointment was part of a major reconstruction at Elland Road, which culminated in promotion to the Premier League.
“In my first year I noticed the historical weight of promotion. The season ended pretty badly,” Victor Orta told Spanish outlet El Pais.
“When the season ended, I met with the owner, Andrea Radrizzani, and told him: ‘Either we change the club model, or you have to sell, or I have to leave because the historical weight that I notice in every corner is not going to let us work the model you intended’.
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“Andrea, who was new to football but brave, told me: ‘And what do we do?’. We could not reduce the distance with other teams simply by buying players, because after 11 years in the second division we did not have the parachute payment [relegation insurance], which only lasts four years.
“I told him: ‘We have to look for a coach who can help us with good recruitment criteria for players with immediate performance, take away the historical weight, and we can base the project for promotion to the Premier League.
“When we signed him I receive 50 messages: ‘You’re crazy, you’re crazy, you’re crazy’. I knew that the club needed a seizure. If you look at the history of Leeds, the coach has been very important here since Don Revie. We needed someone who was above the club to get close to that level.”
Bielsa spearheaded a triumphant era which saw Leeds lift the Championship title in 2020 and end a 16-year absence from the English top-flight. The Argentine then inspired the Whites to a ninth place finish on their return to the Premier League but a drastic drop in form ultimately led to his dismissal in December.
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