Marcelo Bielsa finally signs new one-year contract with Leeds – six months after Argentine agreed to extension
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LEEDS manager Marcelo Bielsa has signed a new one-year contract extension to keep him at the club until next summer.
Last year, the 66-year-old Argentine waited until the day before the first game of the season to pen a one-year deal.
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And he has carried on that late approach by signing this latest one-year deal just 48 hours before their first league game of the campaign against Manchester United.
He had already confirmed he was going to stay six months ago but has now made it official.
Speaking about extending his contract, Bielsa told the : “From my point of view this is an extraordinary club.
“It’s not often you have a club who designates so much volume of investment to the improvement of the training.
“In this sense, Leeds have made a significant contribution economically for the tools for a manager to prepare his players to be the ideal ones.
“Everything that we need in this area, the club has resolved it with a very high investment.
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“Whether that be the pitches, the facilities, the technology, commodities for the work of the players and in this sense, I am very astounded by the conduct of the club.
“I think the most important coaches that world football has would value what this club means in terms of organisation, structure and the public.”
And Leeds CEO Angus Kinnear revealed the Argentine leaves it so late because of his “lack of interest in it”.
He said: “He's ready. His contract isn't ready but he's ready. I think bar the contract we're in great shape.
“It'll be signed this week and announced to great excitement. It's not even been discussed. The discussions are all around preparations, it really is a formality.
“We had a handshake probably six months ago and it really is just the details. Every day he's talking to (director of football) Victor Orta, (owner) Andrea Radrizzani and myself but it's all about preparations.
“Fundamentally it's his lack of interest in it. There are some minor points that we discuss but it's just getting his attention on it.
“He is just so fixated on the season and the preparations so we have minor points that occasionally come up when we get him to engage on it, but actually it's much more around the line-ups for the games and the transfer window and that's where his priorities are and we wouldn't have it any other way.”
Leeds travel to arch rivals Manchester United on Saturday as they look to improve on their ninth place finish in their first season back in the top-flight.
In terms of transfer business, Leeds have made Jack Harrison’s loan from Manchester City permanent.
And their new additions include left-back Junior Firpo from Barcelona and goalkeeper Kristoffer Klaesson from Valerenga.
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