Orta could make "huge statement" at Leeds by hiring 37 y/o "leader" to replace Bielsa - opinion

Leeds United could make a “huge statement” in their search for a potential successor to Marcelo Bielsa…

Recent reports have linked the Yorkshire outfit to young Sporting Lisbon head coach Ruben Amorim ahead of the summer, where the Argentine appears set to leave the club at the expiry of his current contract.

Ex-Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde, Huddersfield Town head coach and one-time Bielsa assistant Carlos Corberan and former RB Leipzig boss Jesse Marsch have also been mooted with the role, as per the Telegraph.

But it’s the 37-year-old Portuguese that would be something of a coup, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

“If Leeds could manage to persuade him to come to the club to replace Bielsa – if that was the case – I think it’d be a huge statement from the club as well,” he told GIVEMESPORT this week.

Amorim has emerged as one of Europe’s most promising young coaches due to his work at the Primeira Liga giants, a club that have produced some generational talents in Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Figo over the years.

He guided Lisbon to their first league title in nearly two decades last season, registering only one defeat in the league in the process and thus, ending Benfica and Porto’s dominance.

Whilst this campaign, his outfit have more than held their own in Europe, advancing into the knockout stages of the Champions League.

It’s the sort of illustrious experience that Bielsa once arrived in west Yorkshire with and his appointment was something of a surprise given his stature, so there are some similarities to be had with Amorim.

The 37-year-old has won 68 of his 92 games in charge of the Lions, achieving a 73.9% win rate via Transfermarkt, which is pretty remarkable given the fierce competition atop the