About three and a half miles from Elland Road, overlooking the Hyde Park Pub, there is a mural depicting Marcelo Bielsa staring off into the middle distance, his brain abuzz with brave ideas and bold new tactical systems.
Given the enduring popularity of this most mythical of managers, one would almost expect to see a throng of tear-stained mourners making the pilgrimage across Leeds city centre all the way to 2 Headingley Lane.
The fact that Bielsa departs a living legend – arguably the only coach in Leeds’ history capable of rivalling the great Don Revie in terms of his legacy and his influence on the club and the city – despite losing his last three games by an aggregate score of 14-2, tells you all you need to know.
Farewell Bielsa
Before Bielsa shuffled through the doors in the summer of 2018, Leeds had finished 13th in the Championship. Kalvin Phillips was a run-of-the-mill, ten-a-penny Championship midfielder. Luke Ayling, Stuart Dallas, Gianni Alioski and ‘League One Liam’ Cooper looked destined for mid-table mediocrity at best.
Four years on, Phillips is the England national teams’ Player of the Year. Cooper is a Premier League captain. Dallas scored a last-minute winner away at Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City just ten months ago.
So to say that Jesse Marsch has big boots to fill would be one hell of an understatement. Sacked by RB Leipzig after less than half a season at the helm, Marsch has already found out the hard way that replacing a manager who has built a club in his image is no easy task.
That is not to say that history is destined to repeat itself in West Yorkshire. Marsch is not doomed to be the Nicolas Cage to Bielsa’s iconic Edward Woodward.
Marsch’s high-pressing, possession-heavy style should, in theory, suit a squad constructed to Bielsa’s blueprint down to the ground.
His connections in the transfer market, too, could be a major boon for a side who have struggled to strengthen sufficiently since storming to the Championship title in 2020. Of the seven new signings Leeds have made in the last two years, only one – Raphinha – could be considered an unquestioned success.
Who will join Marsch at Leeds?
At this stage, it would be more of a surprise if Brenden Aaronson, Leeds’ number one January target, didn’t end up at Elland Road this summer.
Marsch was still the Red Bull Salzburg coach when USA international Aaronson moved to Austria after all.
Leeds’ interest in New York City FC striker Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos, too, can be viewed in an altogether different light when you tie in the identity of Bielsa’s replacement (La Pagina).
The MLS’ 21-goal top scorer will be available for £14 million this summer. And Marsch – a former New York Red Bulls coach – knows all about the prolific Argentine given his knowledge of all things MLS.
Marsch will not be the only new face at Elland Road next season. But if Aaronson and Castellanos strike up an immediate understanding in the final third, there’s no reason why Leeds cannot build on the foundations laid down by their greatest manager of the modern era.
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