Leeds reportedly want ‘great player’ Bielsa once said was worth £70m

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There are two very distinct sides to Marcelo Bielsa.

The Bielsa capable of transforming the entire face of a football club. Constructing a side in his image from the ground up, and captivating supporters with a bold, intoxicating style of play, all the while turning good players into great ones. Bielsa the builder.

And there’s the Bielsa who left Lille mired in Ligue 1’s relegation zone, winnileng just three games out of 14, suspended and then sacked following a toxic fall out with the club’s bosses. The Argentine’s short-lived spell in charge of Lille, to quote The Guardian, was nothing short of a ‘catastrophe’. 

But while Bielsa’s Lille legacy is nothing like the one he carved out at Elland Road, Les Dogues soon had £72 million burning a hole in their back pocket thanks largely to the Argentine’s almost unrivalled ability to spot a footballing needle in a proverbial haystack.

It was Bielsa, after all, who pushed for Nicolas Pepe’s arrival from Angers after taking over in 2017. The Ivorian would join for just £8 million. Two years and 37 goals later, he was well on his way to becoming Arsenal’s record signing.

Marcelo Bielsa signed Nicolas Pepe for Lille

“Pepe is a great player with big talent and is a goalscorer,” Bielsa said ahead of Leeds’ FA Cup meeting with The Gunners in early 2020. 

“And he’s a player who is able to unbalance a match.

“(He has) obvious skills. When you have all of these skills in one player, the value is £72m. It’s just a matter of time. He will show those skills.

“One thing is to have the skill. Another is to have the skill and to show them on the pitch. He does both.”

Arsenal supporters may disagree with that final sentence, of course.

Is there a more frustrating footballer at the top end of the Premier League? On his day, Pepe can decide a match all on his own with a swish of his left boot. Days like that have been far too infrequent, however, for a man who may soon be sold at a staggering £50 million loss with just two years left on his contract.

Offers are hardly flooding in, though Sevilla, Marseille and Lyon continue to be linked. Per Diario de Sevilla, Leeds United is another potential destination. And the raw similarities between Pepe and the Barcelona-bound Raphinha – another left-footed right winger who loves to cut in and curl shots towards goal – will not go unnoticed.

Of course, Bielsa is long gone at Leeds. It’s Jesse Marsch standing on the Elland Road touchline these days. The American’s preference for inverted wingers, however, should serve Pepe well. As will the more regular first-team football he’d presumably find in West Yorkshire.

Leeds managed to avoid the Lille version of Bielsa. But they will be hoping for the Lille version of Nicolas Pepe.