Marcelo Bielsa remains a legendary figure at Leeds United after his four-year Elland Road stint, but Tony Pulis thinks there is a manager currently in the Premier League who is similar to Bielsa.
Bielsa became a legendary figure during his time at Leeds, largely because he turned a Championship side languishing in mid-table into a proven Premier League side that finished ninth in 2020-21.
The Argentine reconnected the club with a fanbase that had fallen out of love with Leeds. When he got Leeds promoted, the Whites returned to the top for the first time in 16 years, with the same players.
Bielsa was sacked in 2022, a decision Andrea Radrizzani admits was wrong. The legend of Bielsa in the Premier League was short-lived, but loved. Now, Pulis thinks there is a current manager like Bielsa.
Tony Pulis while in charge at Sheffield Wednesday.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Tony Pulis likens Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola to Marcelo Bielsa
Bournemouth have starred under Andoni Iraola since he arrived in the summer of 2023. A manager who worked wonders with no budget while in charge at Rayo Vallecano, now second in the Premier League.
Iraola, of course, was a player in Bielsa’s Athletic Bilbao side that reached the Europa League final in 2012, beating Man United along the way before defeat to Atletico Madrid. Iraola admits he’s a disciple of Bielsa.
Athletic Bilbao duo captain Andoni Iraola and manager Marcelo Bielsa
Photo credit should read RAFA RIVAS/AFP/GettyImages
Speaking on The Managers’ podcast, Pulis compared Iraola to Bielsa having spoken to people behind the scenes at Bournemouth: “Bournemouth were on top in everything on Saturday. The way they fought.
“The way they ran, absolutely fantastic. He has done a fantastic job. Iraola is a little bit Bielsa-ish. They get after the ball; they don’t stop running. Speaking to people at the club, if they don’t run, they don’t play.”
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Leeds tried to hire Andoni Iraola to replace Jesse Marsch
A year after sacking Bielsa, Leeds were faced with the same task having sacked Bielsa’s replacement, Jesse Marsch. They eventually brought in Javi Gracia, but only after missing out on Iraola and Arne Slot.
Victor Orta even flew to Madrid to hold talks with Iraola. But Leeds’ precarious position in the league saw Iraola choose to remain in Spain until the summer, before choosing to join Bournemouth that summer.
Had Leeds stayed up, who knows, Iraola might have been tempted to move to Elland Road, and Leeds could well be in the position Bournemouth currently find themselves in, fighting for the top four.