Man Utd, Arsenal or Dortmund? The clubs that could swoop for Bielsa after Leeds sacking

Stefan Bienkowski

• 4 Mar 2022 07:32 CST
• 4 min read

Marcelo Bielsa’s departure from Leeds United seemed almost as sudden as his arrival in the first place.

After a whirlwind four years in which the Argentine manager had dragged Leeds back into the Premier League, Bielsa was suddenly out of a job once more.

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"This has been the toughest decision I have had to make during my tenure at Leeds United, taking into account all the success Marcelo has had at the club," said Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani.

"With Marcelo as our head coach, we had three incredible campaigns and the good times returned to Elland Road. He changed the culture of the club and brought a winning mentality to us all."

However, while Leeds march on with new manager Jesse Marsch, Bielsa has been left to ponder where he will move next in his varied and widely celebrated managerial career.

Fortunately for the 66-year-old tactician, there doesn’t seem to be a lack of potential options available this summer.

Borussia Dortmund

While it remains a bit of a long shot at the moment, there are growing concerns over Marco Rose’s performance as Borussia Dortmund head coach and it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that the Bundesliga giants will be looking for a new tactician next season.

Following his success in Spain, France and now England, Bielsa could be tempted to make the move to Germany and to try his hand at upending Bayern Munich’s dominance of the Bundesliga.

Manchester United

Clearly things at Old Trafford aren’t exactly going to plan at the moment, with interim manager Ralf Rangnick doing his best to try and turn Manchester United back into a team that are capable of challenging for major trophies.

However, it’s widely accepted that the German tactician will step aside in the summer for another manager and that could quite possibly end up being Bielsa. The Argentine’s tactics are not dissimilar from Rangnick’s and he could certainly work under the German’s long-term vision for the club.

Atletico Madrid

It may have seemed crazy to imagine Atletico Madrid parting ways with Diego Simeone just a few months ago but such a prospect continues to build momentum as the capital side fall further and further behind Real Madrid in the La Liga title race.

Reports in Spain have long since suggested that Atletico are growing stale under their long-term manager and a shake up may be required in the summer to get the Spanish giants back on track. And few managers do shake ups quite as well as Bielsa.

Arsenal

Arsenal have certainly thrown their lot in with Mikel Arteta when it comes to spending big on new signings and binning yesterday’s stars at the London club, but there’s only so much patience the side will have with their young manager if they don’t start making a push for the top four.

Some reports in England have suggested that Arteta is set to sign an extension to his contract, which expires in 2023. But other reports have contradicted such a notion and have instead said Arsenal will reconsider the manager’s position depending on how the team do between now and May.

Should Arsenal part ways with Arteta this summer, Bielsa would likely be one of the leading candidates to step into the role. And he would certainly bring an entertaining and full-on style of football to a club that has looked a little dull and quiet for too long.