'Big fan' - Paul Merson piles praise on Leeds United man, claims he could thrive at 'quality' club

Marcelo Bielsa, Manager of Leeds United. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Paul Merson has admitted that he is a “big fan” of Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa, and has argued that the Argentine would do a great job at one of the top teams in the country.

The Whites have played their way into a rich vein of form in recent weeks, and were unbeaten in six going into Saturday afternoon’s Premier League clash against Brighton.

An early penalty from Pascal Gross and a second-half effort from Danny Welbeck were enough to end that run and hand all three points to the hosts at the Amex Stadium.

Those goals represented just the third and fourth that Bielsa’s men had conceded in their last seven outings – a stat made all the more impressive by the fact that they have faced the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United in recent weeks.

Speaking on Sky Sports News' Soccer Saturday, the former Arsenal man praised Leeds for their newfound defensive solidity.

He said: “It’s hard because you’ve got to get a balance. You sort that out, and then you don’t score as many goals, so it’s finding a happy medium.

"They’ve done well.

"I’m a big fan of the manager. I think if you put him in to, no disrespect to Leeds, but a real, real good team, I don’t think you’d be disappointed as a fan.

"If he had the players, he plays the right way, he tries to play attractive football, and they make enough chances.

"Imagine if he was at a club with real, real quality players.”