It’s hard to make a case against Marcelo Bielsa being the most important person at Leeds United.
The Argentine has taken United from being a side that finished 13th the season before his arrival to a genuine promotion contender.
The most amazing thing is that he’s done it using the same core group of players that were at the club when he arrived.
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Indeed, the likes of Stuart Dallas, Pablo Hernandez, Luke Ayling, Mateusz Klich, Liam Cooper and Kalvin Phillips have all played at least 28 league games this term, and they were at Elland Road when Bielsa arrived.
However, if United go up, they may need a hefty squad overhaul, because as good as those players have been this season, they were still mid-table Championship players before Bielsa’s arrival.
If the Whites want to give themselves the best chance of being competitive upon their ascension to the top-flight they’ll need some talented players through the door, and that means they’re going to have to rely on Victor Orta.
The Director of Football often splits opinion amongst the fanbase, but if United go up, his job will be the most important at the club.
No matter how brilliant Bielsa is, if his players aren’t up to the test, then he will struggle to compete with the established talent that almost every Premier League club have at their disposal.
Orta has gotten things wrong in the past, just look at how the loan deals for Jack Clarke and Eddie Nketiah turned out, with both players being recalled early.
However, he’s consistently been bailed out by the manager’s ability to get the best out of his current crop at this level.
Unfortunately, the Premier League is a different animal, and if Orta gets it wrong this summer it could lead to United’s season ending in tears.
Fingers crossed the Spaniard can work some magic in the transfer window if Leeds go up.
In other news, Gaetano Berardi has given Leeds something to think about.