‘Remarkable’ – Leeds Exclusive: Whelan taken aback as Laporte drops Bielsa reveal
Noel Whelan has heaped praise on Marcelo Bielsa for his “remarkable” transformation of Leeds United over the past two years.
The former Leeds and Coventry forward, speaking exclusively to Football Insider correspondent Dylan Childs, suggested the work the Argentine is all the more impressive given he is working with the same squad as his predecessors.
In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte claimed Pep Guardiola and Marcelo Bielsa are the “best” two managers in world football.
Laporte was handed his Athletic Bilbao debut under Bielsa on 28 November 2012.
The French defender could line up against his former manager if Leeds gain promotion the Premier League this season.
When asked by Football Insider how excited he was for the prospect of Bielsa sitting in the opposite dugout to Pep Guardiola, Whelan said: “It would be brilliant.
“You can see what Marcelo Bielsa has done and the respect he commands from Pep Guardiola.
“He has turned the fortunes of players around in this squad. It is pretty much the same squad that two other managers have had before but the football that is played and the way he has changed people’s attitudes towards the club is remarkable. Bielsa has made them a top team within two years.
“It is the same batch of players but he has educated them on position, intensity, work rate and attitude. He has brought all of that into not just the first team but the under-23s.
“It is worth paying the money for a very good manager and his backroom staff. The talent is there, it just needs to be brought out.”
The 64-year-old led United to within a touching distance of promotion last season.
This season the Championship leaders are primed to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2004 with a seven-point cushion between themselves and the play-offs.
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