Former Marseille midfielder Brice Dja Djedje has revealed the ‘unforgettable conversation’ he once held with Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa.
Dja Djedje spent a short spell working under the Argentine coach during his time at Marseille, joining the French side in January 2014.
He made 36 appearances under the Leeds boss in Ligue 1 during the 14/15 campaign, featuring regularly for the French side as they finished fourth in the table.
Like many players who have worked under Bielsa, he had to quickly adapt to a different style of football, particularly when it come to their work on the training pitch.
One of those is Dja Djedje, who still speaks highly of him today and the work he did behind the scenes with his players.
“I remember an unforgettable discussion for me in his office when he arrived at OM,” he told Onze Mondial in an interview about his career so far.
“When I was at the training centre, I was a midfielder. It was only during my second year in the reserves with Paris that I switched to right-back.
“During that famous discussion, he told me that he knew I was a midfielder.
“Marcelo is Argentinian; he comes from the other side of the world (laughs). And despite that, he knew I was a midfielder when I was young. He knew everything about everything.
“He’s a coach who doesn’t let anything slip by and pays attention to every detail. His high standards are a great help to his players.
“I’m sure he took me to a new level. The intensity of his training sessions was very high. I was very happy to work with him. He gave me a lot of confidence.”
