Leeds United sporting director Victor Orta has described working with Marcelo Bielsa as ’a luxury’, insisting he never worried the Argentine would leave for a bigger club.
Bielsa has been in charge at Elland Road for two years, having first arrived in a shock move back in 2018.
He has been a huge hit at the club, leading them out of the Championship and back into the Premier League after 16 years last season.
He did so by moulding the club to his presence, developing the team on and off the pitch to match how he sees the game.
That’s something that’s seen him earn widespread praise in England, with claims earlier this year that Manchester City were even looking at him should Pep Guardiola depart.
That now won’t be happening, and Orta insists Leeds were never concerned that the 65-year-old might jump ship at some point.
“We set ourselves the goal of ascending as soon as possible,” he told AS.
“In Leeds, there was a historical pressure that special people had to handle and we changed the strategy in choosing the coach.
“We had to invest in one that would make a difference and I went for Bielsa. I don’t know if we are crazy; what we have is passion for our work.
“I work very comfortable with Marcelo, I don’t see anything abnormal. It makes me a better professional and a better person. A luxury.
“I never had that doubt. He always had a very honest and sincere relationship with me.
“I felt empowered to create an environment around him that was conducive enough for him to feel comfortable not to leave.”
That was certainly the case this summer, when the club spent £96.1m on transfers following their return to the Premier League.
Among them were big signings such as Rodrigo, who arrived in a £27m deal from Valencia, a deal that saw Leeds break their transfer record.
That was a move few believed they would pull off and Orta admits that cynicism only drove him to get the deal done.
“He is the most expensive, of course,” he admitted.
“Everyone told me it was impossible and that motivated me more. We explained it very well to the player, we moved, we convinced him.
“I like quality, I don’t look at nationality. We have Germans, Italians, Portuguese… There are mostly English because I love how these players work on a day-to-day basis.
“They are obedient. That is why I always thought that Bielsa’s way of working would work well with a large core of English players. And they drag the others to work.”
Of course, it has not all been plain sailing for Leeds since Bielsa’s arrival, with plenty of low points to counter the highs.
One of those came last weekend, when Leeds were soundly beaten 6-2 by Manchester United in the return of one of England’s hottest rivalries.
That result came as something of a surprise to those watching, but not Orta, who says the club were aware such results could happen.
“We knew that with our style and the quality of our rivals something like this could one day happen to us, but this same style has led us to where we are,” he added.
“With an identity recognised by our people, and it is the one that will continue to take us far. The team believes in him. We are on our level. You have to keep your feet on the ground.
“In the Premier of every three teams that rise the average is that 1.8 descend the following year.
“When promoted the objective the first year is to stay to stabilise the project. The second year can calmly be more ambitious.”
