‘The end of him’ – Fatal Bielsa issue cited for Leeds Utd star facing axe
The blossoming career of a Leeds Utd forward may lay away from Elland Road after a lack of trust from Marcelo Bielsa was cited as a fatal issue.
The signing of ex-Man Utd winger Daniel James breathed new life into Leeds’ wide forward ranks. Raphinha and Jack Harrison impressed last season when flanking Patrick Bamford, but reliable depth beyond that pair was sorely lacking.
Helder Costa and Ian Poveda were both given numerous chances to impress from the bench. However, neither grabbed their opportunities to any great degree.
As such, both Costa and Poveda were loaned out this summer. Costa left for Valencia, while Poveda stayed closer to home when joining Blackburn.
And according to former Leeds Utd midfielder David Norris, Poveda’s loan exit is a sign his days in West Yorkshire are numbered.
Speaking to FootballFanCast (via Leeds Live), Norris cited a lack of “trust” Bielsa has in Poveda. Per Norris, when the Argentine lacks that critical trait in a player, the writing is generally on the wall.
“I mean, I think we’ve said before about Bielsa, if you’re not for him and he doesn’t trust you, that’s normally the end of it,” said Norris.
“And I feel like with this one, it’s not that he’s not been given a chance or they’re just wanting to get him some games.
“I think that’ll be the end of him. I’d expect him to move on.”
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Bielsa downside dissuading potential Leeds Utd signings?
Meanwhile, Paddy Kenny has suggested potential players may be dissuaded from signing for Leeds Utd due to how Marcelo Bielsa conducts his business.
Bielsa signs contracts with the club on a year-to-year basis. While it was known internally he would remain at Elland Road, he did not sign his new contract this this year until August 12 – just two days before the season started.
And it is that uncertainty that Kenny believes may be “putting off” potential new signings.
Speaking to online outlet Football Insider, Kenny said: “Ideally, you’d want him locked into a three or four-year contract. As a player coming in, you want to know that the manager is going to be there for more than one season.
“You buy into his plans for the future when you sign for a club. You want to know what he is aiming to do over the next few years. But with a year-to-year contract, you don’t know whether he is going to be there 12 months down the line.
“It might put a few new signings off. But if the owner’s happy with it, you just have to trust his word and trust that Bielsa will stay. He is an excellent manager, obviously. If that’s what they have to do to keep him there, so be it.“
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