Sources: Bielsa ‘won’t be at Leeds next season’ – and could be sacked in January
Marcelo Bielsa is under growing pressure to keep his job at Leeds United and remarkably could be sacked as early as next month, Football Insider has been told.
There is growing alarm among the United hierarchy about the team’s recent capitulations, which has seen them concede 14 goals in their last three matches.
A United source has told Football Insider that Bielsa “won’t be at Leeds next season” amid a growing acceptance among the club’s senior figures that his fourth campaign will be his last.
However, the Argentine may not even see out the January window if he does not oversee an improvement in results.
The source added that Leeds will look to bring in a new manager if their fears of getting sucked into a relegation battle intensify.
There is a concern among the hierarchy that the players are losing faith in the methods of Bielsa and his notoriously unyielding demands.
Injuries have robbed him of key players in recent months, including striker Patrick Bamford, and star midfielder Kalvin Phillips and skipper Liam Cooper are among those facing lengthy spells on the sidelines.
United followed up last Tuesday’s 7-0 thrashing by Man City with a 4-1 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday night.
Leeds are now 16th in the Premier League table, five points above Burnley but have played three matches more than them.
Bielsa remains hugely popular with the club’s supporters and there is no appetite among them for a change of manager.
He signed a new one-year contract on the eve of the season and has spent longer at Leeds than at any club in a managerial career that began at Newell’s Old Boys in 1990.
The United hierarchy, led by majority shareholder Andrea Radrizzani and the 49ers, will look to support Bielsa with new signings in January to strengthen an embattled squad,
As revealed by Football Insider last Saturday, the club have ripped up their original January transfer plan and are working on two major midfield signings in the upcoming window.
In other news, Kieran Maguire has revealed Radrizzani is in ‘£80m’ Leeds United-49ers ‘dilemma’ as inside source reveals transfer latest.