‘More than in love’ - Ex-Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa’s admission amid Everton next manager links

Marcelo Bielsa has already spoken about his love for English fans amid talk of him taking over at Everton.

Everton are now in the market for a new manager after sacking Frank Lampard at the start of this week, and a number of bosses are being linked with the job. Among the favourites is former Leeds boss Bielsa, who has been out of work since leaving Leeds United in 2022.

The Argentine was superb at Elland Road, and he remains treasured by fans in Yorkshire for taking the club back to the Premier League and re-establishing them in the top flight. Given his energetic style of play and the huge shift it would be from Lampard’s style, it would perhaps be a risk for Everton to appoint Bielsa halfway through the season.

But many fans would like to see the Toffees play with energy and passion, and it’s claimed that talks are to be held with Bielsa to see if he would be willing to take over at Goodison Park.

With that in mind, it’s worth noting what Bielsa said about English fans and his love for the Premier League in an interview with DAZN last year.

“The English public is not the general public,” he said. “Look...what a phenomenon: more than in love with the game, they are in love with the shirt they love.”

Bielsa also gave an interview to Sky Sports in the year before, and he was asked about his style and how other managers may model their style from him. Though, he rejected the latter and rather profusely.

“I arrived at Leeds with my character and my personality pretty well established,” he said. “There are a lot of coaches who it has been said follow my ideas but that is not the case.

“I give you the example of [Gerardo] Martino who has publicly said that he did not follow my ideas. He is a great coach in his own right but he does not follow my ideas. Another example is Eduardo Berizzo who is a very good coach, who I admire a lot, with his own ideas, but he also does not follow in my way of thinking.

“And another very clear case, one that is closer to home for you guys, is Mauricio Pochettino. He has clearly said that he does not follow my ideas. I want to make it clear that those who are said to follow my ideas, have clearly said that is not the case. This is what those who people have said are my followers have said themselves. You can see that within my followers - Martino, Berizzo and Pochettino - it is not the case.”