Quick Update: Marcelo Bielsa’s appointment reportedly agreed “in principle”

Leeds United have reportedly landed to a deal with Marcelo Bielsa to take over the head coaching vacancy at the club, with two parties coming to an agreement “in principle.”

This news comes on the heels of rumours that Leeds had reached out to current Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce to gauge the interest of the former Hull City, Birmingham City, Sunderland, and Wigan Athletic manager in the vacancy at Elland Road.

The Mirror is now reporting that Leeds and Bielsa have come to an agreement on a salary package for the former Chile, Argentina, and Athletic Bilbao manager, with only a few minor details needing to be worked out. The report also states that a breakthrough has occurred within the past two days, and that the people at Leeds are now confident that a deal will get done for the experienced Argentine.

Bielsa has been attending various conferences in Latin America over the past few days, and after the news of the interest in “El Loco” from Leeds, fans have grown impatient with the delays. Additionally, the sacking of Paul Heckingbottom last Friday also intensified the desire for fans to see a deal to get Bielsa appointed quickly.

However, as Phil Hay has pointed out, a negotiation with a manager of the reputation and experience of Bielsa is no easy task, as many financial details would need to be ironed out, as well as agreements about possible transfer targets, budgets, etc.

None of this is surprising, as any negotiation of with a manager with the reputation of Bielsa would be easy, especially given that Leeds are currently in the Championship. Leeds may be a sleeping giant, but given that his last two coaching offers were not as pleasant as his time at Bilbao, Bielsa’s reputation would likely take an even greater hit if he was not as successful at Leeds as hoped.

Anyway, there is still hope.

And if not Bielsa, can it be Matis Almeyda? Please?