Leeds appoint Marsch to replace Bielsa

Leeds have appointed American Jesse Marsch as Marcelo Bielsa's replacement.

The popular Bielsa was sacked on Sunday after three-and-a-half highly successful years at the helm, with owner Andrea Radrizzani saying he "had to act in order to secure Premier League status".

The West Yorkshire club have moved swiftly to name a successor, with Marsch agreeing to become their new head coach, pending international clearance, after putting pen to paper on a deal that runs to June 2025.

"We are delighted to welcome Jesse to the club and excited for him to lead us into this new chapter," said Victor Orta, Leeds' director of football.

"Jesse is someone we identified a number of years ago during his time at Red Bull Salzburg and we believe his philosophy and style of football aligns with that of the club and will suit the players very well.

"We have a long-term plan and firmly believe he can take Leeds United to the next level and are excited for what the future holds."

Marsch, 48, played for DC United, Chicago Fire and Chivas USA in the US domestic league, MLS, and twice for the national team.

As a coach he has mainly worked at Red Bull clubs, New York, Salzburg and Leipzig, who sacked him after five months in December. At Salzburg he won the league and cup.

He will be the third American coach to work in the Premier League after Bob Bradley, who had a brief spell at Swansea, and David Wagner, who was with Huddersfield.

Marsch said he was "honoured and excited" to take over at Elland Road.

He said in a video on the Leeds Twitter account: "The last phase of making this decision from everyone's perspective came together pretty quickly, but it's something I'm really excited about.

"I know what a big club Leeds is. I have ex-players that