Bounremouth ‘exploring move’ for Marcelo Bielsa with Leeds United icon ‘on a list of candidates’
Bielsa #Bielsa
AFC Bournemouth are reportedly ‘exploring a move’ for former Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa as they look to appoint Scott Parker’s permanent replacement.
Now, this is an article you would not have expected to read today and it is certainly not one that I expected to type up.
The Cherries have been without a permanent manager since Parker was sacked on August 30. This followed their embarrassing 9-0 loss at the hands of Liverpool.
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Former Premier League midfielder Gary O’Neil was handed the job on an interim basis and he has done a decent job to stabilise the club.
This is his first opportunity as a manager and he has three wins, four draws and four defeats in his 11 games in charge.
Bournemouth have dipped of late though as they are without a win in five Premier League games.
During this run, they let slip two-goal leads in defeats against Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United.
This poor run has seen them slip down to 17th in the table and now just a single point is keeping them out of the bottom three.
The Cherries are in limbo both on and off the pitch at the moment as Bill Foley’s takeover is still yet to be finalised.
David Ornstein of The Athletic is reporting that the American businessman’s takeover is ‘on the verge of being completed’.
It is being reported that Bournemouth’s representatives have been in Las Vegas to discuss club matters with Foley. They note that the ‘next managerial appointment has been high on the list of topics discussed’.
O’Neil is ‘not expected to be given the job on a permanent basis’ but they are ‘interested’ in appointing Bielsa.
The Premier League outfit are ‘exploring a move’ for the 67-year-old as he is ‘on a list of candidates’.
It is yet to be seen if Bielsa would be keen on the role, but from a neutral perspective, it would be great to have him back in the top flight.
He has been out of work since he left Leeds United earlier this year.
Bielsa is adored at Elland Road as he masterminded the club’s return to the Premier League after they endured 16 years in the Championship and League One.
Leeds finished ninth in their first season back in the Premier League but they found themselves in a relegation battle under him in 2021/22.
Several heavy defeats led to Leeds’ hierarchy parting company with the beloved coach and they replaced him with Jesse Marsch.
His successor managed to keep Leeds up last season but their supporters are not fully sold on the ex-RB Leipzig manager. He looked likely to be sacked before recent wins over Liverpool and AFC Bournemouth.
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