With Leeds United announcing that manager Marcelo Bielsa had agreed to the second year at the club covering him for the 2019/20 Championship campaign, it should’ve put most of the speculation about his future to bed, but pundit Danny Mills continues to have one concern.
Having battled for both automatic and Play-Off promotion from the second tier this year before the season ending in massive disappointment for all concerned, the tweaks we need to make to the first team group are obvious to all, even with the caveat being injuries got in the way more than you’d expect them to.
Speaking to Football Insider after the Bielsa confirmation came in, Mills was full of praise for the decision, but commented.
“I believe he was always happy to stay, definitely. There are no issues with where he lives or the club. He really likes being at Leeds. What was the sticking point? From what I hear, he clearly believes he needs to add players to what’s been a thin squad hit by injuries. He wants one or two targets, and won’t have stayed unless the club agreed to get them. They would be massively important to him. It’s down to transfers and budgets. Leeds should be very careful about what they do and promise Marcelo Bielsa. He is a man of principle. If he doesn’t get what he wants by the time the transfer window closes, he could just walk out. He’s done it before at other clubs.”
Bielsa has done everything before at other clubs including the often nonsensical run out of steam nonsense that our possession stats and chances up until the very last game completely disprove, but it clearly won’t stop the line being trotted out.
Mills is right, but it’s in being right where he’s wrong here. Bielsa is a man of principle and yes he could walk if the club made no efforts to back up the promises he was given. But it’s football and he’s long enough in the tooth to know effort doesn’t always equal reward, so as long as the club make their best efforts to back him on main targets, he won’t throw the baby out with the bathwater if every deal doesn’t come off.
It goes without saying though, the quicker we can get people through the door the better as they have longer to settle in, but if most of our work will come from Premier League loans, that naturally carries a greater delay as decisions are made.