Jesse Marsch’s reign as Leeds United manager ended in failure and the season in which he was sacked the club were relegated, but it could have been different had Victor Orta chosen differently.
Marsch took over from Bielsa in February 2022 and kept Leeds in the Premier League. But how much was down to the American gaffer is up for debate with the presence of Raphinha having more of an impact.
Leeds sold Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips and with that cash, they allowed Marsch the freedom to pick his own players. He formed reunions with Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen, both of whom flopped.
His work in the transfer market played a massive part in Leeds being relegated the following summer. That and Marsch’s incessant desire to play centrally, his strange media outbursts and more contributed.
He was sacked in February 2023 and despite a brief rally under Javi Gracia, a Leeds side built by Marsch were easily relegated. It could have been different though, Orta claims he interviewed Paulo Fonseca.
A manager that has worked at Porto, Braga, Shakhtar Donetsk, Roma and Lille. Experience from all over Europe and a manager that has three league titles on his CV and is currently impressing in France.
Paulo Fonseca might have kept Leeds United up instead of Marsch
Marsch arrived at Leeds after starring with Salzburg in Austria but failing to take his success to Leipzig. His CV nowhere near as glittering as Fonseca, who has shown he can tactically adapt throughout his career.
The current Lille boss has that pragmatic type of approach that is associated with Portuguese managers, the likes of Nuno Espirito Santo and Jose Mourinho. But he can attack as well, proven at Shakhtar.
A whopping 295 goals in 139 games as manager. At Lille even, Fonseca’s side have scored 152 goals in 87 games. Experienced, tactically astute and a real leader, Fonseca would have given Leeds more of a chance.
He would have spent the cash brought in by Raphinha and Phillips better than Marsch. Instead of forming reunions for old players, Fonseca’s knowledge of Europe would have been priceless in the transfer market.
What Henrikh Mkhitaryan said about Fonseca in the past
The former Manchester United and Arsenal attacker worked under Fonseca at Roma and speaking to Football Italia in 2021 about the Portuguese gaffer, he explained why he is similar to Thomas Tuchel.
“Paulo Fonseca’s a bit similar to Tuchel in that he’s trying to put players in the right position and giving them the freedom to enjoy their football,” Mkhitaryan said about Fonseca after working under both.
If Leeds had a manager that would have adapted tactically, spent wisely in the window and remained calm and calculated in front of the camera, like Fonseca, then we might have stayed up in 2023.