Leeds earmark former RB Leipzig coach Jesse Marsch as their No 1 target - The Mail 17/2/22

Leeds earmark former RB Leipzig coach Jesse Marsch as their No 1 target to replace Marcelo Bielsa - should the Argentinean coach call time on his job and not renew his contract at the end of the season

Marcelo Bielsa is once again in the final stages of another 12-month contract

The Argentinean won't make a decision about his next move until the summer

Jesse Marsch is out of work but has coached both RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg

Marsch's teams play with aggression and intensity, similar to Bielsa's style

By DOMINIC KING

Leeds have made Jesse Marsch their prime target to succeed Marcelo Bielsa and will pursue the American coach if their current moves on.

Bielsa, who is adored at Elland Road thanks to the remarkable job he has done in returning the club to the Premier League, is once again in the final stages of the 12-month contract he signed last summer and will not make any decision about his next move until the campaign has ended.

There is a possibility that the Argentinean will call time on his job – this is the longest period he has been in charge of a team since a four-year spell in charge of Chile between 2007 and 2011 – and Leeds have started making plans for who will be next in line.

Marsch appeals on a number levels. He is a free agent, having been out of work since a brief 17-game spell in charge of RB Leipzig ended last December.

Previously he had earned plaudits for a spell in charge of Red Bull Salzburg, where he had worked with, among others, Erling Haaland.

The 48-year-old started his coaching career within the Red Bull Group in New York and he has a significant admirer at Leeds in the form of Victor Orta, the club's Director of Football.

Marsch's teams play with aggression and intensity and there are similarities to Bielsa's style.

Interest in Marsch is not limited to Leeds, as two other Premier League clubs have made discreet enquiries about him while Athletic Bilbao are also admirers; it is the Yorkshire club, however, who at this stage are most serious.

Orta would be responsible for appointing the next manager along with the club's principal shareholder Andrea Radrizzani and chief executive Angus Kinnear.

There is a need to plan for the future but, equally, they are aware that nothing can be done to jeopardise their top flight status.

Leeds, who host Manchester United this weekend, have been in a miserable run of form and last Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Everton has dragged them into trouble at a time when they have a run of games that will see them play Liverpool, Tottenham, Leicester and Norwich in the next month.