Marcelo Bielsa has previously been touted as the best coach in the world, but despite this, he’s never really managed a truly elite European club.
Yes, he’s been at some top-class outfits such as Marseille, Lazio and Athletic Bilbao, but these aren’t teams that are competing for the Champions League year in, year out.
You’d think that someone of his stature would have had a number of top jobs, but instead, he’s spent the last two years managing in the Championship.
Unfortunately for Leeds, he’s seemingly caught the eye of one of football’s biggest stars.
What’s the story then?
The Sun are reporting that Lionel Messi wants Bielsa to be the next Barcelona manager.
Of course, a player wanting something isn’t quite the same as the club being interested, but it’s certainly fair to say that Messi isn’t in the same boat as most players.
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As much as the Argentine hates the notion that he runs Barcelona, he has more sway than most players could ever dream of, with a director getting sacked for making negative comments about him.
One insider spoke about Messi’s sway at the club stating: “Messi has unspoken veto power over most player transfers, coach appointments or major tactical decision.”
If the £500k-a-week star wants Bielsa, the board may just have a look into that possibility, and with his Leeds contract being up, he is technically available.
Impossible to turn down
As much as Bielsa seems to love Leeds, you can’t help but feel that it’d be impossible for him to turn down Barcelona if they came calling.
The 65-year-old may never get another chance to manage a club of that calibre, and after completing his primary goal of getting the Whites promoted, it’d be understandable if he felt it was time to close this chapter of his career.
We’re due to hear about the gaffer signing a new deal at Elland Road sooner rather than later, but if Barcelona do come in for him, that could put the cat amongst the pigeons.
