Marsch: I wanted Bielsa to leave Leeds on a high

New Leeds coach Jesse Marsch revealed he had been tempted to convince the club to retain Marcelo Bielsa until the end of the season.

Bielsa was sacked on Sunday after a series of heavy defeats left Leeds facing a Premier League relegation battle and American Marsch was appointed the next day.

The 48-year-old former RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg manager was identified by Leeds as a possible successor to Bielsa in the summer and said he did not want the Argentinian's tenure to end in the way it did.

Marsch said: "Yeah, I said that. I think I was ready to say that. At the time, if you go back two weeks, I wasn't a 100% sure that I was definitely the next coach of Leeds United.

"I hoped, based on our positive conversations and exchanges that that was going to be a high possibility, but I wasn't sure.

"I know what it's like, I just left a team halfway through the season and it's never a good feeling. I've learned in this business that jealousy is a terrible thing. Trying to judge people for failures and successes is never good.

"Finding the right fit and being in a good situation where you vibe with everything around you is often what determines success for a manager.

"I wanted Marcelo to finish on a high note and the club to finish on a high note with Marcelo and the fans. If it was possible for me to be the next I was very open to it."

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