Some at Leeds United were frustrated when Marcelo Bielsa turned down the chance to bring Club Brugge star and Netherlands international Noa Lang to the Premier League, as reported by The Athletic.
Remember Samu Saiz? The silky Spanish schemer who, during the thrilling first few months of the Bielsa era in 2018/19, looked like Leeds’ most influential attacker?
Remember the confusion, among some sections of the fanbase, when the enigmatic Argentine allowed Saiz to return home, midway through the campaign, with promotion on the line?
As ever, there was method to Bielsa’s so-called ‘madness’.
For all his defence-splitting capabilities, Saiz and Bielsa were not the match made in footballing heaven they initially appeared on paper.
The Yorkshire Evening Post pointed out in December 2018 that Saiz was struggling to cope with Bielsa’s exhausting training methods. Particularly with regards to the manager’s relentless high-pressing style.
Leeds turned down Club Brugge’s Noa Lang
It seems the former Marseille, Athletic Bilbao and Argentina boss had similar concerns about Lang. According to The Athletic, many at Elland Road were intrigued by the prospect of bringing in the former Ajax kid, a player they scouted intensively and believed would carry significant ‘re-sale value’.
Bielsa, however, was not particularly impressed by Lang’s defensive work-rate. Given the choice, arguably Leeds’ most iconic manager since Don Revie would choose a sweat-shedding, back-tracking Jack Harrison over a player like Lang every day of the week.
Not everyone in West Yorkshire shared Bielsa’s view however. There was ‘frustration’, amongst some, that the 66-year-old was reluctant to green light the club’s pursuit of a player who has won three trophies in two seasons at Club Brugge, scoring 26 goals and providing another 26 assists along the way.
Lang will cost £25 million these days, and has been likened to players from Neymar to Robin van Persie.
“He’s always had this type of playing style,” says the 22-year-old’s agent, via Calciomercato. “He has excellent technique, dribbling and vision (and) is also an excellent decision maker and a neat finisher.
“I’ve heard a lot of people say he looks like Neymar.”
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