It is an eventuality that us Leeds fans are desperate not to consider. Marcelo Bielsa hinted that he will remain at Leeds for the 2021-22 campaign in a recent press conference, but stated that he will not sign a new deal at Elland Road until the summer. He is expected to stay, but Bielsa will eventually leave Yorkshire and the Whites need to have a replacement ready.
Bielsa turns 66 in July and it remains to be see how many years he has left in football management – let alone time at Leeds. He is likely to want to manage Newell’s Old Boys before he retires. But in the mean time, he is out of contract this summer – but has suggested that he will sign a new deal. The likelihood is, though, that he will have probably left Leeds by the time he is 70 – though that is pure speculation.
There has been talk about the future of Bielsa this season. Of late, some reports from Portugal suggest Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim could be lured to Leeds when Bielsa leaves. The 36-year-old has impressed with the Portuguese club – but who knows when Bielsa will eventually leave, indeed, Bielsa probably does not know himself.
It will happen. Other than Amorim, who could be a future contender? Well, one fan suggested Steven Gerrard after the Liverpool legend won the Scottish Premiership title ahead of Celtic on Sunday. It saw Rangers stop Celtic’s pursuit of 10 in a row, and win their first title in 10 years. Rangers have come a long way in the three years Gerrard has been at Ibrox.
He has instilled identity, proven shrewd in the transfer market – Borna Barisic, Connor Goldson, Allan McGregor, Glen Kamara, Joe Aribo and Steven Davis among his best signings – and has improved Rangers on the European stage, too. Indeed, Rangers are seemingly more suited to the Europa League and they are even domestically.
The talk is, that he will be Liverpool’s future manager. But many believe that he will join a mid-table Premier League side before joining The Reds – learning from Frank Lampard’s mistake that saw him jump at the chance to manager Chelsea, which did not work out. Leeds might be an option if he does go down that route, and Hay responded when asked by a fan.