Official: Jesse Marsch replaces Marcelo Bielsa as Leeds head coach
The former USMNT midfielder will succeed the Argentine manager, who was sacked over the weekend due to Leeds' poor results in the current Premier League campaign.
On Monday, Leeds United confirmed that Jesse Marsch will take over as head coach after sacking Marcelo Bielsa this past weekend. The Argentine has failed to take the Elland Road club out of the relegation zone and the people in charge believed that it was time for a change.
Leeds sit in 16th place in the Premier League standings and are two points above the relegation zone, with a record of five wins, eight draws and 13 losses. Former USMNT midfielder Marsch has signed a deal with Leeds until June 2025.
Marsch’s first experience in the Premier League
"We are delighted to welcome Jesse to the club and excited for him to lead us into this new chapter," Leeds director of football Victor Orta said. "Jesse is someone we identified a number of years ago during his time at Red Bull Salzburg and we believe his philosophy and style of football aligns with that of the club and will suit the players very well.
"We have a long-term plan and firmly believe he can take Leeds United to the next level and are excited for what the future holds." Marsch started his coaching career with MLS side Montréal Impact in 2012 and started working in Europe in 2019 with RB Salzburg.
After two successful seasons, the American coach got the RB Leipzig job, but after a five-month stint Marsch was sacked. The former USMNT player was linked to a move to Celtic after obtaining his UEFA pro license in Scotland, but Leeds convinced him to take over the job after Bielsa was fired.
"We are really pleased to have quickly secured the services of our first-choice head coach,” said Leeds chief executive Angus Kinnear. "Whilst the short-term objective for Jesse is obvious, we believe he has the courage and ambition to build on the strong foundations we have created over the last four years and elevate the performance of the club over the long-term.
"He had a great deal of success with New York Red Bulls and Red Bull Salzburg and has demonstrated during our many meetings that he is a great fit with the footballing culture of Leeds United."