Jesse Marsch has been named as the front-runner to take over from Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United after the Argentine was sacked on Sunday morning.
What’s the word?
After a string of shocking results, which saw the Yorkshire outfit register only two wins from 12 games, also conceding a whopping 40 goals, the 66-year-old parted ways after a little over three-and-a-half years at the club.
“Leeds say they are planning a permanent tribute to Bielsa at Elland Road. Also say they will ‘aim to make an announcement on a new appointment tomorrow.’ Marsch the favourite for the job,” revealed The Athletic’s Phil Hay.
Meanwhile, Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano also delivered an update on the club’s pursuit of the former RB Leipzig and Salsburg head coach.
“Jesse Marsch’s set to be appointed as new Leeds United manager. Full agreement reached on verbal basis – final details to be sorted out in the coming hours” he tweeted. “Work permit among last issues to be resolved then Marsch will be announced as new Leeds head coach.”
Perfect fit
Whilst the 48-year-old has little experience in guiding a relegation-threatened side to safety, the American would be something of a dream appointment for the long-term, so it’s easy to see why director of football Victor Orta and chairman Andrea Radrizzani have acted swiftly to hire the out-of-work boss.
The Wisconsin-born former midfielder was sacked by the Bundesliga outfit back in December 2021, just a few months after taking over from Julian Nagelsmann but it’s his work in Austria that is most appealing.
Marsch has a playing style very similar to that of Bielsa, so the squad would need little time to adapt to new ideas and methods, which is perhaps a big bonus with only 12 games left to save their Premier League status.
That quick tempo and high-intensity pressing system saw Salzburg clinch the Austrian Bundesliga title twice. Marsch has lost just 17 of his 94 matches as Salzburg manager; an impressive win rate of 68%.
He has also played a key role in the development of stars like Erling Haaland and Patson Daka, among others, including mooted Leeds transfer target Brenden Aaronson, who is a huge fan of his.
“He has been awesome; I can’t speak of Jesse highly enough,” Aaronson said to Transfermarkt.
“We have this excellent connection, but not just because I am American, just because he right away treated me as one of the guys. He also does a really good job, we watch a lot of film, and he helps me to improve my game, and I have learned so much in just the five months that I have been here.”
Also dubbed as an “amazing manager” by Haaland, the 48-year-old’s attacking 4-2-2-2 formation could provide the Elland Road faithful with some excitement in all of this mess.
“Key to my way of playing is the idea of pressing to score goals; not thinking about possession when you win the ball, but thinking about how to get the ball forward and score as quickly as possible,” he once told The Coaches Voice.
On the above evidence, there is plenty to be encouraged about should Marsch be in place before their trip to Leicester City next weekend. He’ll need to make an instant impact if Leeds are to stand a chance at remaining in the top-flight.
AND in other news, 57% pass accuracy: Whites lightweight who lost ball every 2.8 mins failed Leeds again…