<p>Think about it, <strong><a href="https://bolavip.com/en/marcelo-bielsa-t71" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marcelo Bielsa</a> </strong>on the sidelines of an <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/mls-t16956" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MLS</a> club. It almost happened and it was before the 2017 season. The Argentine coach was almost ready to move his family to the United States after a five-hour meeting with the MLS team’s leaders, but the call to finalize the deal never took place.</p>
<p><strong>Marcelo Bielsa is not your everyday coach, he is extremely obsessed with tactics, and repetitions, and his training sessions could last hours.</strong> Bielsa has also only taken jobs in which he believes he can truly leave his stamp on a club, turning down million dollar offers to coach teams in Mexico, Italy, and various national teams.</p>
<p>Before <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/atlanta-united-t215" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Atlanta United</a>’s first season, Bielsa and the club heads Carlos Bocanegra and Darren Eales met in Marseilles, France in 2015 to discuss the possibility of Bielsa coaching the team in its inaugural season. According to <em>The Athletic</em>, <strong>the meeting was around five hours long, where Bielsa detailed his plan for the team and later on the Argentine head coach never received a phone call about the team’s final decision.</strong></p>
<h2>Marcelo Bielsa almost coached Atlanta United</h2>
<div style="text-align:center">
<figure class="image">   <figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" data-height="412" data-width="740" data-size="w:740,h:412" hspace="5" vspace="5" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20210512_BUS_170948_marcelo_bielsa_crop1620831074092.jpg_22069893_59c2cd29.webp&amp;width=740&amp;height=412" width="740" height="412"></figure><figcaption>    Marcelo Bielsa wanted total control over Atlanta United on the soccer side. (Getty)   </figcaption></figure>
<p></p></div>
<p>According to <em>The Athletic </em>article, Bielsa’s time at Marseille was running down and the Argentine was looking for a new challenge and the possibility of coaching in MLS and building a team from the ground up appealed to Bielsa.</p>
<p>The deal to have Bielsa become the coach of Atlanta United was almost brought to the finish line but two key factors played a part in Bielsa not becoming the coach of the five stripes. <strong>The first was Bielsa wanted total control over all the soccer decisions at the club. Something Bocanegra was hesitant about. </strong>That control consisted of all player signings and year end evaluations.</p>
<p>While Atlanta United wanted a high-profile coach for their first season, the process of player signings and TAM and GAM funds in MLS is a complex world and the club believed whoever the overseas candidate that would take over would need help.</p>
<p>The second factor and notably most shocking was after the long meeting and understanding that the decision to hire the team’s first coach was a big one, one that needed the approval of Arthur Blank, Atlanta United’s owner, <strong>Bocanegra would advise Bielsa of the final decision. He did not</strong>, and this infuriated Bielsa, and he sent word to the MLS club to never again contact him.</p>
<p><strong>Bielsa is known as a man who examines every aspect of a club</strong> and while he knew that it was not a 100% done deal to coach the five stripes, he is known for taking value in courtesy calls and proper management. Fans on social media have been hard on Bocanegra, shocked the club did not do the proper research and possibly lost the chance that Bielsa would ever coach the team altogether.</p>
<p><em>The Athletic</em> article was not kind to Carlos Bocanegra, as it highlighted his issues with the teams eventual first coach <strong>Gerardo “Tata” Martino</strong>, where Martino banned Bocanegra from team meetings and training, all while the club won the 2018 MLS Cup and became a model franchise in MLS.</p>
<p>For Bielsa, today the Argentine is the coach of Leeds United and his Leeds team is a world sensation, despite being 10th in the Premier League, <strong>Leeds has displayed a style of soccer that is envied across the world.</strong></p>
<p><span></span> </p>
<div class="ck-related-news">  <span data-src="/usa/contenidos/2021/05/11/noticia_0012.html" data-type="news"></span>  <p></p>
<div id="relatedNews-36">     </div>
<p></p></div><p></p>

Report: Marcelo Bielsa was a phone call away from joining an MLS team

Report: Marcelo Bielsa was a phone call away from joining an MLS team - Bolavip US

<p><strong>Leeds United </strong>will return to the <a href="https://us.bolavip.com/premier-league-t45" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Premier League </a>after 16 years and manager <strong>Marcelo Bielsa </strong>doesn’t want to waste time in the next transfer window. One of his main targets is<strong> Ben White</strong>, who was on loan from Brighton &amp; Hove Albion during the 2019-2020 season.</p>
<p>However, it will not be easy to keep the 22-year-old defender at Elland Road.<strong> Brighton areasking£50 million for Ben White</strong> and <a href="https://www.leedsunited.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Leeds </a>will have problems if they spend all that budget in only one player. Although White was a key part of the team last season, Bielsa will need to negotiate with Brighton in orden to get a better deal.</p>
<p>The newly-promoted Leeds are not the only interested team in White. <strong>Premier League giants like<a href="https://us.bolavip.com/soccer/Premier-League-transfers-Liverpools-best-signings-with-Jurgen-Klopp-as-manager--20200414-0003.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Liverpool</a>, <a href="https://us.bolavip.com/soccer/Premier-League-transfers-Manchester-Uniteds-top-signings-of-last-decade-20200412-0001.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Manchester United</a> and Chelsea </strong>are also looking to reinforce their defensive lines and White would be a great signing for all of them. Also, they would not have problems to afford£50 million for his transfer.</p>
<div style="text-align:center">
<div class="ck-youtube" id="youtube-95">    <span class="item first"></span>  <span class="item second"></span>  <span class="item third"></span> </div>
<p></p></div>
<h2>Argentine players on Bielsa’s radar</h2>
<p>While Leeds and other Premier League teams negotiate with Brighton for Ben White, Bielsa has some Argentine compatriots on his radar for the next transfer window. <strong>One of them is defender Marcos Senesi</strong>, whose transfer belongs to Feyenoord of the Netherlands.</p>
<p><span></span></p>
<div style="text-align:center">
<div class="ck-instagram" id="instagram-73">
<div class="ck-instagram"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CD9ORH9gAB3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;margin: 1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:99.375%;width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px);width:calc(100% - 2px)">
<div style="padding:16px">
<div style="flex-direction: row;align-items: center">
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px">           </div>
<div style="flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center">
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px">             </div>
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px">             </div>
<p></p></div>
<p></p></div>
<div style="padding: 19% 0">         </div>
<div style="height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px">     <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CD9ORH9gAB3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank" rel="noopener">                                                                      </a>    </div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px">
<div style="color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px">      <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CD9ORH9gAB3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ver esta publicación en Instagram</a>     </div>
<p></p></div>
<div style="padding: 12.5% 0">         </div>
<div style="flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px">             </div>
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px">             </div>
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px">             </div>
<p></p></div>
<div style="margin-left: 8px">
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px">             </div>
<div style="width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent">             </div>
<p></p></div>
<div style="margin-left: auto">
<div style="width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent">             </div>
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px">             </div>
<div style="width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent">             </div>
<p></p></div>
<p></p></div>
<p style="margin:8px 0 0 0;padding:0 4px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CD9ORH9gAB3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thank you for the support ������⚪️</a></p>
<p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center">Una publicación compartida por <a href="https://www.instagram.com/marcosenesi/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Marcos Senesi</a> (@marcosenesi) el 16 de Ago de 2020 a las 9:18 PDT</p>
<p></p></div>
</blockquote></div>
<p>     <span class="item first"></span>  <span class="item second"></span>  <span class="item third"></span> </p></div>
<p></p></div>
<p>Senesi is also a young central defender, like White, and has been linked with a move to Leeds during the past few days. However, <a href="https://www.feyenoord.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Dutch team</a> doesn’t want to sell the player, <strong>at least during the next transfer window</strong>.</p>
<p></p>
<div class="ckeditor-poll" data-path="/usa/encuestas/Encuesta1597849727056" id="ckePolls_1597849794304" style="text-align:left"> <span data-src="/usa/encuestas/Encuesta1597849727056"></span></div>
<p></p>
<p><strong>Nicolás González</strong> is also on Bielsa’s radar. The young forward helped Stuttgart to achieve promotion to Germany’s Bundesliga. The 23-year-old González scored 14 goals last season and <strong>Stuttgart would be asking£15million for his transfer</strong>.</p>

Marcelo Bielsa - Page 2

Report: Marcelo Bielsa was a phone call away from joining an MLS team

Leeds United transfer: Marcelo Bielsa starts to negotiate as Brighton ask £50 million for Ben White