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The manager has become a cult figure in his two years at the club. He turned a team from the middle of the Championship table into title contenders in an exciting first season.
He then finished the job in year two by leading Leeds back to the Premier League for the first time in 16 years.
The highest score in club history, the best winning percentage of any manager in its history and an exciting style of football have all contributed to its legendary status.
Several murals of his image appeared in his honor throughout the city to celebrate his achievement and that of the club.
He has now hinted that he will remain at the club for a fourth season, an unprecedented spell on a club for a man known for moving on quickly.
It wasn’t until September 10, almost two months after the end of the 2019/20 campaign, that Bielsa confirmed that he would be staying at Elland Road to lead the club into the new Premier League season.
There was never any real doubt about their future, but it is now Leeds United tradition that their contract talks begin only when the season is over, and so far they have agreed to one-year extensions each time.
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The feeling at Elland Road has been that he would definitely stick around for a shot at the Premier League and probably would have stayed for another shot at the Championship if last season had ended differently, but there was no point betting on anything beyond three years – This is now the longest season he has had with any club in a 30-year coaching career and, at 65 with a family in Argentina, few would blame him for moving forward in 2021.
But, speaking at yesterday’s press conference, Bielsa revealed that her insistence on another one-year deal at Elland Road and her willingness to stay beyond next summer were not mutually exclusive.
“I feel very comfortable living and managing in England,” he said.
“Annual contracts don’t mean I’m not willing to stay here longer.”
There seems to be little chance that a contract extension will be agreed until next summer at the earliest and the club has admitted that it is almost pointless trying to talk about another season when the head coach is so immersed in what is happening in this moment.
But those 21 words will be good news for the white fans who do not like to think of a post-Bielsa world at Leeds United.
