Leeds United fans will be roaring on their players every week in the hope that promotion back up to the Premier League is won, but the Daniel Farke era at the Whites doesn’t quite have that same charm to it as when Marcelo Bielsa was occupying the dug-out.
Bielsa, who is a revered figure to this day at Elland Road, was rightly adored in West Yorkshire, having lifted the Championship title aloft under his eccentric stewardship, whilst also steering the Whites to an impressive ninth-place finish right after promotion was sealed back playing amongst English football’s elite.
The beloved South American was responsible for some top signings coming in through the door during his four years at the club too, even if everything began to fall apart towards the back end of his tenure.
Marcelo Bielsa's best players at Leeds
Away from getting the most out of the likes of Kalvin Phillips during his time in charge, alongside the infamous Victor Orta, Bielsa also went out and purchased some fine talents who would don the Leeds strip in style.
Raphinha is an obvious name that springs to mind, with the Brazilian trickster’s audacious tricks and flicks spellbinding the Leeds masses on a regular basis after he joined in 2020 on a bumper switch from French outfit Rennes.
He amassed 17 goals and 12 assists playing in West Yorkshire before an inevitable big-money move away from Elland Road happened, with Barcelona now taking in the delights of Raphinha week in week out.
It wasn’t always the flashiest signings who came good under the now Uruguay manager, however, with the likes of Mateusz Klich impressing. He was purchased for £1.5m from FC Twente 12 months prior to Bielsa’s arrival but it wasn’t until the South American head coach came in that he proved himself to be a masterstroke buy.
He went on to make 195 appearances in total for the Whites after leaving the Netherlands behind, becoming an everpresent member of Bielsa’s starting XIs as a reliable midfield presence.
Of course, although the decorated manager ended up sanctioning some top deals whilst managing in England, he also fell victim to some blunders in the transfer market.
One of Bielsa's worst signings
It could be argued that one of Bielsa and Orta’s worst-ever signings was the purchase of Kiko Casilla back in 2019, even with the former Real Madrid shot-stopper joining on a free transfer.
The Spaniard’s time at the club saw him make countless errors between the sticks, enough to be referred to as a “complete liability” by Leeds content creator Oscar Mario in 2020. The Whites also had to make do with a younger Ilian Meslier for eight games that same year after the 6 foot 3 ‘keeper was ruled out having been banned due to racially abusing another player.
That would then lead to the now free-agent ‘keeper never reclaiming his number one spot back off the Frenchman, going on to make just five appearances in total during his final season at the club during 2020/21.
It wasn’t just his below-par performances which saw him notch up just 23 clean sheets for the club, that would anger those at Leeds during his disastrous stint. Indeed, the one-time Spain international was also earning a significant pay packet.
1. Rodrigo
£100k
2. Raphinha
£63.5k
3. Kiko Casilla
£40k
4. Diego Llorente
£40k
5. Robin Koch
£40k
Amazingly, despite making such limited appearances during his swansong season, Casilla would still rake in a hefty £40k-per-week salary, only beaten by star players Raphinha and Rodrigo in terms of higher wages.
In total, on wages alone, Leeds would end up burning through £6.2m on Casilla during his three seasons at the club.
Looking at Farke’s camp now, both Wilfried Gnonto and Largie Ramazani staggeringly earn less, despite being key parts of the German manager’s plans at Elland Road.
Both attackers will be key for Leeds as they aim to win promotion back into the Premier League – with Ramazani on to two goals already for his new employers since a summer move from Almeria – but both the former Manchester United youth player and his Italian counterpart earn just £17.5k-per-week and £30k-per-week respectively.
Leeds have since moved on from the rollercoaster ride of Bielsa’s time in charge, and poor signings such as Casilla, with Farke and Co now attempting to go full steam ahead after the international break to put together more wins for an ongoing promotion charge.
Leeds could seal promotion by signing "the best ST in the Championship"
The Whites were once interested in a deal to bring the centre-forward to Elland Road.
ByDan EmeryOct 9, 2024