It’s fair to say that Jesse Marsch’s time at Leeds United is unlikely to be remember fondly a few years down the line, with most glad to see the American depart Elland Road this month.
Things have not been going well for Marsch for a few years, with spells at Leipzig manager and then Leeds failing to get his career back on track after his initial impressive time at RB Salzburg.
Indeed, his time at Leeds was worse than his time in Germany, with him departing Yorkshire with a points per game record of 1.16, down from the 1.25 he managed in his 20 games at Leipzig.
It’s difficult to see where he will end up next, particularly after the recent collapse in talks over a potential move to Southampton.
Those talks demonstrated there is still some interest in him and one club who had been keen in the past was Athletic Bilbao.
El Correo cover that today, explaining how their fans are currently celebrating the news that Ernesto Valverde has signed on for an eighth season in charge at the club.
He is highly respected at the club after the work he has done there so far and his presence is only more valued when thinking of who else could be there.
That is where the newspaper brings Marsch into it, with them stating ‘let’s not think of Jesse Marsch’ when it comes to potential alternative.
They say the former Leeds boss ‘sounded so much’ like one of the preferences of the board at one point but was never appointed, something they are more than happy about given his recent departure from Elland Road is ‘still being celebrated in the pubs by Leeds fans’.
They and Bilbao fans don’t want to think what might have been if he had ended up at the club instead of Valverde or as a replacement for him.
Indeed, they question ‘how can we not celebrate’ Valverde’s renewal in that light, with the prospect of Marsch in charge one they don’t even like to think about, presumably more so after his Leeds departure.
