Marcelo Bielsa bats away talk about his future at Leeds - The Athletic 18/2/22

By Jacob Whitehead and Amitai Winehouse

Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa has said that now is not the time to discuss his future.

On Sunday, Manchester United will visit Elland Road with fans present for the first time since the pandemic.

Leeds are 15th in the Premier League, six points clear of relegation, having finished ninth last season.

This is the 66-year-old’s fourth season in charge of Leeds, his longest spell at a club side, which has led to questions about his future at the West Yorkshire club.

However, when asked about the topic ahead of Sunday’s game, Bielsa replied: “It's not a subject that we should talk about at this moment.”

The Argentinan did provide an update on the fitness of several players. While Patrick Bamford is still injured, Stuart Dallas, who limped off in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Goodison Park, may return.

His availability would be a big boost for Leeds as his replacement against Everton, Leo Hjelde, has a knee problem that could keep him out for three weeks.

Bielsa said: “Dallas is recovering. He hasn't been discarded from Sunday's game.

“Kalvin (Phillips) and (Liam) Cooper are continuing their normal processes. The objective is that they get to March (and are) available. The medical calculation was 12 weeks and that hasn't changed.”

Why is Bielsa's future up in the air?

The Argentinian's contract runs out at the end of the season — he only signs one-year deals.

Meanwhile, this has been a tough campaign for Leeds. They have struggled with injuries and are 15th in the table.

As The Athletic detailed earlier this week, Leeds have also shown credible interest in Ernesto Valverde and Jesse Marsch if Bielsa decides to leave at the end of the season.

Does that interest mean he's leaving?

No. For Leeds, so much of this is hypothetical.

They will do nothing while Bielsa is in office and their next steps will be influenced by his attitude; first and foremost, whether he wants to speak about staying on. But even if he does, and even if Leeds make good their bid to secure survival, there is more to the decision than a simple yes or no.

They would have to make a decision based on a number of issues, including how Bielsa would propose to stop Leeds’ 2021-22 from repeating itself, and how the club can help him on that.