Jesse Marsch addresses questions over his Leeds United summer transfer business after seven departures — YEP 20/2/24
Leeds United's transfer strategy was geared towards the American but eventually saw him sacked and the club relegated.
By Kyle Newbould
Jesse Marsch insists Leeds United's arrivals from America
and the Red Bull teams were not solely his signings - but believes they were
part of a 'good recipe' to improve the team at that time.
Leeds invested more than £94million into the playing squad
through Marsch's first transfer window as manager, following the relief of
their final-day Premier League survival. Key pillars Kalvin Phillips and
Raphinha funded the arrivals, with hope among fans that the money could be
spread to produce a deeper group.
American duo Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson joined their
countryman at Elland Road alongside Rasmus Kristensen, all three of which came
from either RB Salzburg or RB Leipzig. Luis Sinisterra and Marc Roca were
outliers in that respect, coming from Feyenoord and Bayern Munich respectively,
while the club accelerated their pursuit of Wilfried Gnonto from FC Zurich in a
desperate late bid to get a forward through the door.
Aaronson and Kristensen both found life in the Premier
League incredibly difficult, struggling to cope with both physical and
technical demands. Questions were raised as to why Marsch thought their
skillset could transfer across from Austria - a far inferior league - but the
former Whites boss insists there was balance in his business.
“Yeah I liked all the players we brought in,” Marsch told
Sky Sports. “And when I say ‘we’, I know a lot of times in England, we talk
about the manager’s transfers, we didn’t operate that way. As a club, we really
made decisions. Obviously it looks like it’s my transfers when it’s an American
and some Red Bull players.
“But I think we all felt internally, as we were shifting the
team and the style of football, that having some players like Luis Sinisterra,
Marc Roca and Willy Gnonto, that could meet the standards of how we wanted to
play the game and believe that had a high ceiling for how we develop them,
along with some players that had been around the system, was a good recipe to
try to build a team that was going to be successful moving forward.”
Marsch doubled down on the strategy despite seeing his Leeds
side regress and fall closer to the relegation zone. The American personally
called Max Wober to convince him of a move from RB Salzburg, while compatriot
Weston McKennie joined on loan from Juventus.
Neither move succeeded in improving things and Marsch was
sacked just days into February, with Leeds eventually relegated. Of the nine
major signings made under the American, only two remain - Gnonto and Georginio
Rutter - with the remaining seven forcing moves away due to release clauses in
their contracts.