How much it cost Leeds United to sack Marcelo Bielsa - Was it worth it? | OneFootball

Leeds United paid £3.5m to sack Marcelo Bielsa, but they've yet to hit the heights he reached since his exit.

Leeds United have an illustrious history, with the older generations among the fan base having been brought up on Don Revie’s dominant side from the late 60s and 70s.

Of course, they then won the top division under Howard Wilkinson in 1992, before reaching a Champions League semi-final nine years on.

Sadly for the Whites, financial mismanagement followed, and the best part of the next two decades were relatively miserable by Leeds’ high standards.

Marcelo Bielsa transformed Leeds United

However, that changed in 2018, when, to the surprise of many, Leeds managed to attract former Argentina and Athletic Club coach Marcelo Bielsa to Elland Road.

Given his history of clubs, many thought this would prove to be inspired by the club - or a disaster.

But, pleasingly for Leeds, it was the former, as Bielsa brought a relentless attacking approach that blew most of the Championship away.

Whilst his first season ended in play-off heartbreak, the Yorkshire outfit went on to win the title the following year, ending 16 years outside the top-flight.

With Elland Road rocking, and the side playing fearless, high-intensity football, Leeds made their mark back in the Premier League, recording a ninth placed finish on their return to the elite.

Leeds United paid £3.5m to sack Marcelo Bielsa

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the progress made in such a short space of time, Leeds couldn’t sustain that upward trajectory, and the decision was made in February 2022 to sack Bielsa - at a cost of £3.5m.

The threat of relegation was the justification for making such an unpopular call by previous owner Andrea Radrizzani, as Leeds were just two points above the bottom three at the time.

Jesse Marsch came in, and he did keep the side up in the final few months of that season.

Yet, it was only a temporary reprieve, with Leeds dropping back to the Championship the following season, after Michael Skubala, Javi Gracia and Sam Allardyce had all taken charge at some point after Marsch’s sacking.

Leeds United must regret Marcelo Bielsa sacking

It’s important not to rewrite history, and there’s no denying that Leeds were really struggling at the time Bielsa was dismissed.

They had lost four games on the bounce, conceding 17 goals in the process, and they were firmly in a relegation battle.

Nevertheless, Bielsa had more than enough credit in the bank, and he would point to a few injuries that were harming the team at that point. Plus, crucially, they were outside the relegation zone, so they may have survived anyway.

In the eyes of many fans, Bielsa deserved to stick around even if Leeds had gone down under his guidance, as he was the man that took them up and brought the good times back to Elland Road.