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Leeds United confirmed on Tuesday that Marcelo Bielsa would remain at the Championship club for at least another season.
The Argentine – who has inspired the likes of Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino – nearly returned Leeds to the Premier League for the first time since 2004. The Elland Road side, though, fell just short of promotion, losing 4-3 to Derby County in the playoff semi-final.
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Leeds have not messed around and got the former Marseille boss to commit to trying to get the Lilywhites back into the Premier League again next season. Bielsa has re-energised the city, the club and the fans. The sense of doom has been lifted and if appropriately backed Leeds will be strong favourites for promotion next season.
The Leeds squad this season overachieved. A lot of the players they have are not good enough to challenge at the top of the Championship and Bielsa managed to squeeze every last drop of talent out of them.
Rafael Benitez – like Bielsa – has transformed his club. The feeling of misery has been lifted on Tyneside by the Spaniard’s presence and he has performed miracles to keep Newcastle in mid-table.
In 2017/18 Benitez used almost exactly the same squad that he got promoted with and finished tenth, last season the 59-year-old mainly relied on loan deals, free transfers and budget signings, while teams such as Fulham and West Ham United spent millions on new players.
The rest of the league spent while Newcastle stood still. He still managed to get the Toon to finish 13th, and they were safe from relegation a month before the end of the season.
A takeover appears on the cards at Newcastle and the first thing the new owners must do is follow Leeds’ lead, by tying down Benitez to a new contract.
Working under financially tight conditions he has performed miracles, so Magpies fans can only dream of what Benitez could do if he is given a competitive budget.
He could feasibly turn Newcastle into the team who challenge the top six. They have the stadium and infrastructure and under Benitez’s guidance – backed by owners who want to improve the team – the sleeping giant that is Newcastle United could finally wake up.
Newcastle will not get a better manager than the former Real Madrid boss and if the Toon are to leave mid-table mediocrity behind Benitez must be at the helm.
Leeds acted quickly to ensure they kept their world-class manager while Newcastle have messed around, seemingly waiting to see how the takeover plays out. It’s time for the Magpies to follow the Whites’ lead and get Benitez tied down to new terms as soon as the new owners are through the door.
