Pontus Jansson comments on Marcelo Bielsa after sealing Leeds exit

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Pontus Jansson has left Leeds United to join Championship rivals Brentford this summer.

Pontus Jansson has told Swedish outlet Aftonbladet that he rates Marcelo Bielsa as being one of the best coaches he has ever worked with, but admitted that he did not enjoy the easiest relationship with the Leeds boss.

Jansson’s £5.5 million move to Brentford was announced on Monday (via Yorkshire Evening Post). While the deal had been on the cards for a few days, there was still plenty of Leeds supporters who were struggling to come to terms with the centre-back’s departure after the move was confirmed.

Phil Hay suggested on Twitter when reports of Jansson’s imminent departure first emerged that Leeds were having issues with the 28-year-old’s attitude, and Bielsa had given his move his approval.

But after sealing his switch to Griffin Park, Jansson has shed light on the relationship he had with Bielsa. He was full of praise for the Leeds boss, but conceded that it had not always been easy.

“I always liked having a close relationship with my trainer. As I had with Rolle Nilsson or Rikard Norling for example. It has not been as easy with Bielsa and the language [barrier] is a cause,” he told Aftonbladet.

“I keep Bielsa high, as one of the absolute best coaches I have had. He is special, believes hard in his ideas and I have learned a lot with him as a coach.”

Jansson’s exit is not going to be easy for the fans to accept for some time. There have been few players since the club’s top flight relegation who have been as popular as the centre-back, and he is probably one of the few players who could join a Championship rival and still stand a good chance of remaining a hero amongst the large majority of fans.

Plenty of supporters are also willing to back Bielsa – much of the anger appears to be directed towards the board over the fee – but there is a sense that the club now need to go out and land a marquee replacement for Jansson to help make the decision to sell look a little more understandable.