MX23RW : Wednesday, March 3 05:25:27| >> :120:30525:30525:

Marcelo Bielsa happy to wait until the summer to decide Leeds future

Marcelo Bielsa happy to wait until the summer to decide Leeds future
© Reuters
Marcelo Bielsa signed a one-year extension in September after guiding the club into the Premier League.

Marcelo Bielsa said it would be better for Leeds to wait until the end of the season before deciding whether to extend his contract.

But Bielsa, who signed a one-year extension to his deal in September after Leeds had won promotion to the Premier League, insisted that did not mean he wants to leave Elland Road.

"The first thing I want to highlight, because what it seems like is that the president is offering me an extension and I am delaying it," Bielsa said.

Bielsa is in his third season as head coach at Elland Road
Bielsa is in his third season as head coach at Elland Road (Nick Potts/PA)

"It could be interpreted as the club having more of a desire for me to stay than I do and that's not the case.

"In no way do I want to position myself above the club. I reiterate, I am not going to manage any other options until my job here at Leeds is done. There is no speculation from my part."

Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani has made it clear he wants Bielsa to remain in the role and that the club were waiting for the Argentinian's decision.

Bielsa added: "The second thing is that the decision to work in a club for another year is so important that you must have a clear security.

"When you have a third of the season left to play, perhaps in this period there will be things that happen that will alter the judgement that is useful to have in mind. That is my reasoning. So I go to what you ask me.

"If the club needs and answer before the end of the season, I will respond before the end of the season.

"But if this happens I will take the time to tell them that they should consider what happens in the last part of the season.

"In this case it's possible that they could say to me 'OK, we'll wait until the end of the season', or they may say to me 'no, we need to resolve this before the end of the season'. If they need a response prior to the end of the season then I will give one."

Leeds, who play Southampton at home on Tuesday night, are 12th in the table after Bielsa guided them back to the Premier League for the first time in 16 years.

They have received widespread acclaim for their entertainment value, while Bielsa is revered among some of the world's top coaches, including Pep Guardiola, for his methodology and its positive effect on his players.

Bielsa, whose side are bidding to avoid a third straight league defeat after Friday's 1-0 defeat Wolves, confirmed neither midfielder Kalvin Phillips (calf) or forward Rodrigo (groin) would be ready to face the Saints.

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Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl pictured in February 2021
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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City27205256173965
2Manchester UnitedMan Utd26148453322150
3Leicester CityLeicester26154745301549
4West Ham UnitedWest Ham2613674031945
5Chelsea26128641251644
6Liverpool26127747341343
7Everton2513483833543
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs25116841271439
9Aston Villa24123938261239
10Arsenal26114113427737
11Leeds UnitedLeeds26112134344-135
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2797112837-934
13Crystal Palace2696112943-1433
14Southampton2686123144-1330
15Burnley2677121834-1628
16Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton26511102633-726
17Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2675142744-1726
18Fulham26411112132-1123
19West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom2638152055-3517
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2632211543-2811

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