Leeds United are hoping to be able to confirm the appointment of Marcelo Bielsa as their new manager in the next 24 hours after days of laborious negotiations. The Argentinian had initially appeared reluctant to take a job in the second tier of English football, having spent the majority of his coaching career in more salubrious surroundings, but appears to have finally been persuaded to take on the challenge in an ambitious move by the Leeds board. The Yorkshire club had been weighing up whether to turn their attention to Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce because of the time it was taking to reach an agreement with Bielsa, but it seems they have finally landed their first-choice target. Barring any last-minute hitches, Bielsa’s appointment should be confirmed in the next few hours as Telegraph Sport understands the 62-year-old has agreed, in principle, to take the job. Leeds have not played in the Premier League since 2004 and a procession of managers have failed to live up to the expectation of promotion from the Championship, but Bielsa’s arrival is an intriguing prospect.<doc-sep>Get the latest Leeds United news delivered straight to your inbox each day - sign up for free email updates Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Leeds United confirmed the departure of head coach Paul Heckingbottom after just four months in charge at Elland Road earlier this month. The former Barnsley boss was appointed in February, when he took over from Thomas Christiansen, but was unable to revitalise the club's play-off hopes, winning just four of his 16 matches in charge as Leeds limped to a 13th place finish. Heckingbottom's departure come after rumours broke former Chile and Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa is the club's top target to replace him. The 40-year-old's departure was confirmed by the club on June 1 in a statement on the club's website. Here's how it reads in full: "Leeds United can confirm that Paul Heckingbottom has left his role as Head Coach. (Image: Tim Harley-Easthope) "Managing Director Angus Kinnear said, “On behalf of the Board of Directors at Leeds United I would like to thank Paul for the commitment and passion he has demonstrated since he joined the club earlier this year. Paul came to us during a difficult period in the season and has conducted himself in an exemplary manner despite results not going as any of us had hoped." "“Our objective is to bring in a Head Coach with more experience who can help us reach the goals we have talked about since we became custodians of the club last summer. We are confident of making a quick appointment and we thank our fans for their continued support.” "Assistant Manager Jamie Clapham, Head of Fitness Nathan Winder and Analyst Alex Bailey will also leave the club with Paul whilst Set Piece Coach Gianni Vio will not have his contract renewed. We would like to wish Jamie, Nathan, Alex and Gianni well for the future."<doc-sep>Leeds United's search for a new manager continues. It's now been 11 days since the club swung the axe and sent Paul Heckingbottom on his way following an underwhelming four month spell in the Elland Road dugout, with Angus Kinnear insisting that wanted to make a quick appointment. Talks are continuing with former Argentina and Chile boss Marcelo Bielsa, with plenty of reports coming out of South America that he is close to signing on at Elland Road, with just a few final details to sort out. When Leeds do finally get their man they can also crack on with bringing in some new players. The likes Abel Hernandez, Angus Gunn and Kyle Bartley remain top of their shopping list. We'll bring you all the breaking news from Leeds United and the rest of the Championship as it happens right here.<doc-sep>
Leeds United have completed a deal to bring controversial manager, Marcelo Bielsa to the club. The flamboyant former Argentina boss brings a big reputation to the Championship club and will make a big impact at Elland Road this summer. The 62-year-old last been employed by French side Lille, an association that ended in acrimonious fashion when he fell out with the club’s hierarchy toward the end of last year.Having managed Velez Sarsfield and Newell’s Old Boys in his homeland, he coached his national side for six years as well as the Chile national team. He has a few titles as manager, winning the Olympic gold medal with Argentina in 2004 as well as leading them to the Copa America final. At Athletic Bilbao he came close to winning two titles, leading them to the Europa League final in 2012 where they lost out to Atletico Madrid and also the Copa del Rey final where they lost out to Barcelona. Bielsa must gain a work permit for the deal to go through, but everything is signed and he is ready to take over immediately. Leeds have been after a new boss since sacking Paul Heckingbottom after just 16 games on the 1st June. This is a fascinating appointment for Leeds, with the prospect of Bielsa taking his intensive, attacking and high-tempo style of play to the English second tier being yet another reason to take an interest in the incredibly competitive division. A deal is expected to be officially announced in a few hours, once the work permit has arrived.