The Jesse Marsch era at Leeds United won’t go down well in history.
Whilst the American wasn’t in the dugout when Leeds got relegated during the 2022/23 Premier League season, he was a key reason why such an unsteady and heavily cracked road was built that led to the club returning to the Championship.
The fans were pretty divided then and full of mixed emotions because there had been little improvement since Marcelo Bielsa was sacked as Leeds manager.
Added to that, a lot of players from within the squad that had helped get the club back to the promised land, weren’t progressing or showcasing the required quality at the top level.
In that sense, it was a bitter pill to swallow and it just resulted in even more divided opinions from those who follow Leeds week in and week out.
As mentioned above, there were many heroes and legendary figures who emerged from Leeds’ promotion-winning group and there were many great stories.
One of the best stories was the rise of Mateusz Klich and how he proved many people wrong by becoming a key member of that all-action Bielsa side.
Once upon a time, Klich was told he wasn’t good enough for the Yorkshire outfit, but he dusted himself off, went out on loan, returned and then the rest is history.
But the Poland international was one of the players who started to fade away in the Premier League and the start of the end came under Marsch.
Klich shared a conversation he had with the now-Canada coach and how he was told that he was going to be ‘playing less’.
The versatile midfielder admitted that he ‘didn’t want to leave Leeds’, but accepted his fate at the time, before heading for the exit door in an emotional send-off in January 2023.
Klich, who is now playing in the MLS for DC United, understood ‘that’s football’, as he told The Athletic.
Mateusz Klich opens up about leaving Leeds United under Jesse Marsch
“I’m a smart player, I knew it (the end of his time at Leeds) was coming,” admitted Klich.
“I had a conversation with Jesse (Marsch) and he said I would be playing less. I agreed but I didn’t want to leave Leeds, so I stayed and agreed to that role. That was all good. But (then) I had the opportunity to move on and play more, so I took it. That’s football, and it’s pretty simple in the end.
“You’re getting older, younger players come in, new managers come in and bring their own players. It’ll probably happen to me here, too. Eventually, I’ll have to move.”
Leeds United in the Premier League
It’s a club that belongs in England’s top-flight and its history suggests that it is one of Europe’s biggest underachievers by constantly hovering in the lower leagues.
Let’s be honest, Leeds made a mess with how they went about things in the Premier League last time out and you are hoping lessons are learned.
READ MORE: Adam Pope delivers significant update on Leeds United possibly signing Cheikhou Kouyate
Before the Elland Road faithful can find that out, Daniel Farke needs to find the magic of Bielsa because nothing but promotion is going to be accepted this season.
Remember, Bielsa fell at the first time of asking also, but then, he picked the team up and they produced a Championship title-winning team to remember.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
