Bielsa ‘failure’ becoming more apparent as 21-year-old shines after Leeds exit: Our view

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Marcelo Bielsa kicked himself after Jordan Stevens joined Barrow from Leeds United on Deadline Day, and the midfielder is making the Argentine’s ‘failure’ slightly more apparent.

Stevens joined former Whites prospect Robbie Gotts in leaving Elland Road for life in League Two. Neither had managed to break their way through into Bielsa’s plans after a handful of underwhelming loan spells. And now aim to showcase their talents with Barrow.

Leeds had hopes for Stevens in the first-team while the club sought promotion out of the Championship, per Leeds Live. But Premier League football curtailed his progression, and failing to shine with Swindon or Bradford put further hurdles in a path he could not clear.

Bielsa considered Stevens, Gotts, Alfie McCalmont and Bryce Hosannah leaving Leeds this summer as a personal failure. Believing the quartet’s inability to step up from U23s football to the first-team rested on his shoulders, having been close at times to the senior fold.

“The fact that Gotts is not here, Stevens is not here, Alfie is not here, Hosannah is not here, I live it as a failure,” Bielsa revealed, via Leeds Live, last month. “All those players who were close to the first-team but didn’t manage to get there – it’s a failure of my job.”

Stevens making Bielsa ‘failure’ more apparent since Leeds exit

Stevens left Leeds for Barrow on Deadline Day in August after wasting chances to impress at Swindon and Bradford. He scored just once and assisted once in 13 League One fixtures with the Robins. Before moving to Valley Parade in January, but failed to score or assist.

Leaving no impression on League Two results with Bradford and only starting once in 16 appearances ended Stevens’ Leeds career. But he is now starting to, slightly, make Bielsa’s ‘failure’ more apparent by shinning at Holker Street under Mark Cooper.

Stevens has started his Barrow career strongly with one goal and two assists in five games since leaving Leeds. He has also started all of his League Two outings with the Bluebirds in an attacking midfield role. Putting the horrors of his Bradford stay last season in the past.