Former Leeds United Boss Marcelo Bielsa Lined Up For New Job On One Major Condition

Marcelo Bielsa could be back in football management, just four months after being sacked by Leeds United, but it's dependant on one major condition.

Leeds sacked Bielsa back in February, after a string of results that saw the team concede 20 goals in the shortest month of the calendar year.

With the club fearing the very real threat of relegation, they decided to move on from the Argentine manager, but there's no doubting his success at the club before then.

The 66-year-old is a cult figure throughout football for his attacking tactics and ability to kneel down throughout an entire match despite the damage to his knees.

Fans could be soon seeing the iconic figure of Bielsa on the touchlines once again, with reports in Argentina and Spain linking him to the vacancy at Athletic Bilbao.

The Bielsa crouch could be back in action soon. Image: Alamy

However, it's far from guaranteed that the former Chile national team boss will be able to get the job, with the club about to go through a presidential election.

Bielsa's appointment will only happen if Inaki Arechabaleta, one of the main candidates for the position, gets voted in on June 24th, when the election takes place.

He has managed the club in the past, leading them to the Europa League final, battering Manchester United on the way, and Copa del Rey final in his first season.

Things went worse in his second campaign with the Basque club, who still have a Basque only policy when it comes to signings, and he left the club without his contract being renewed.

Pochettino is also in line for the job with his PSG sacking imminent. Image: Alamy

If Bielsa does get the job it will mean that fellow countryman Mauricio Pochettino misses out, with the current PSG boss favoured by one of the other candidates.

Pochettino is officially not out of work, at the time of writing the article, but is expected to be sacked by the Ligue 1 champions any day now.

The 50-year-old is backed by Ricardo Barkala, who is the favourite to win next week's vote, and it would certainly cushion the blow of losing his current job.

Ernesto Valverde has also been linked with the job, which has been available following Marcelino's departure from the club at the end of last season.

Topics: Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds United, Premier League, La Liga, Athletic Bilbao, Mauricio Pochettino

Ryan Sidle

Ryan is a journalist for SPORTbible with over eight years of experience. Passionate about all sports, he mainly covers football and F1 - Daniel Ricciardo once spent an entire interview referring to him as 'Ryan Gosling,' still his proudest moment.

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