La Liga side Real Betis have made contact with Marcelo Bielsa’s representatives over a potential summer move for the Leeds United boss, according to El Desmarque.
Betis are thought to be preparing for a future without current head coach Rubi, after a season that has only brought seven wins in 25 league games for the Benito Villamarin Stadium natives.
It will now take a miracle for Rubi not to face the sack in the summer, as Los Verdiblancos have intentions of returning to the European scene and competing at a higher level than for mid-table mediocrity.
Executives at the Seville outfit have already begun searching the market for potential replacements to Rubi, in a search focusing on candidates that carry a high profile, a strong technical knowledge and a strong character.
Bielsa is understood to be among the shortlist to have been drawn up thus far, as the Argentine’s CV boasts all the needed criteria having managed the Chile and Argentina national sides as well as his vast knowledge of the game.
The United boss potentially being available for free this summer also appeals to the Betis hierarchy, with Bielsa out of contract at the close of the season and potentially open to leaving Elland Road in hopes of returning to a top-level side.
Former Manchester City and West Ham United boss Manuel Pellegrini plus ex-Valencia, Villarreal and Sevilla head coach Marcelino Garcia Toral are also potential candidates to succeed Rubi at Betis.
Would you begrudge Bielsa leaving without promotion?
Yes
No
Bielsa has proven to be a huge success during his time in charge of Leeds having won 47 of his 89 games in charge across all competitions, including 44 regular-season Championship wins to boast a points-per-game average of 1.83.
Twenty-five wins in the second-tier last term also led the boss to clinching our first Championship Play-Off appearance since 2006, despite taking over at Elland Road in the summer of 2018 after we finished the previous campaign 13th in the standings.
Bielsa walking away at the end of this season, potentially due to failing to secure promotion again, would be devastating to our hopes of moving on from the Championship, and the Argentine would certainly leave shoes most would struggle to fill.
In other Leeds United news, a former Whites star has rued the club’s failure to land a 23y/o in January.