Marcelo Bielsa Leeds contract ‘resolved’ ahead of Premier League season opener vs Manchester United

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Tom Doyle12 August 2021

Marcelo Bielsa has confirmed that he is staying at Leeds United for another year after his contract situation was "resolved".

Leeds face Manchester United in their Premier League 2021/22 season opener on Saturday, though Bielsa's future was uncertain up until Thursday.

Bielsa prefers one-year deals and only signed his previous contract on the eve of last season's curtain raiser, so there has been little concern about his situation.

But it was not until a press conference on Thursday that the 66-year-old publicly made his position known.

"The contract situation is one that is already resolved," Bielsa said through a translator.

"One year is habitual."

The club's chief executive Angus Kinnear has claimed Bielsa's willingness to let his contract situation rumble on is due to his "lack of interest in it" as he focuses on preparing his team.

Speaking after Bielsa, defender Robin Koch welcomed the news but indicated it had never been a concern for the players.

"Of course we are happy he's here for another season," the Germany international said.

"I didn't think he would leave, it's nothing surprising for me, but of course we are happy."

Seeing out a fourth season will mean Bielsa will have been in charge of Leeds for longer than any other club in his career bar his decade-long stay with Newell's Old Boys' youth side before stepping up to the senior role.

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POOL/AFP via Getty Images

But asked if that indicated a special bond, Bielsa demurred, warning he risked playing to the crowd with his answer.

"The answer I would like to give is when I no longer work here," he said. "Being inside the institution you run the risk that your answer is seen as demagoguery and a way of capturing the sympathy of the fans.

"After you stop belonging to an institution, that is the moment you can talk about the feelings that have linked you to this club."

Leeds have invested in Bielsa's playing squad this summer, making Jack Harrison's loan from Manchester City permanent, bringing in Junior Firpo from Barcelona, and also completing deals for youngsters Amari Miller, Lewis Bate, Kristoffer Klaesson and Sean McGurk.

Additional reporting by PA.

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