‘Very important’: Jorge Sampaoli hails £4.5m ace Bielsa reportedly wanted at Leeds

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Jorge Sampaoli thinks he has signed a “very important player” after Leeds United-linked Matias Zaracho joined Atletico Mineiro last week, speaking to UOL.

After being heavily linked with a summer move to Elland Road, the talented playmaker ended up joining forces with the man who succeeded Bielsa as head coach of the Chilean national team.

Five years after guiding Chile to the first major trophy in its history, Sampaoli is back in South America with Atletico Mineiro.

And, after a disappointing 13th-place finish last term, the Belo Horizonte-based outfit are feeling a bit better about things after snapping up one of the most exciting attacking talents on the continent.

“Zaracho is a very important player in Argentine football,” Sampaoli said of the Albiceleste international, who joined from Racing Club for a bargain £4.5 million.

“He can play as a number eight or a ten. He is a very versatile player.’

Skilful, creative and capable of playing in a number of midfield positions, Zaracho looks an archetypal Marcelo Bielsa midfielder (Doble Amarillo).

“I’m glad to be here today, to be able to show myself and give a lot of joy to the fans and to the club,” Zaracho told Istoe.

“(Sampaoli) called me and gave me good references about the club and how the situation will be. Then I told him that I really wanted to come.”

Given the myriad of stylistic similarities between Sampaoli’s style and Bielsa’s free-flowing approach, don’t be surprised to see Leeds reignite their interest in Zaracho if he hones his creative instincts in the home of jogo bonito.