According to Phil Hay replying to a question on his personal Twitter feed, Leeds United have one person to thank for the astounding interest in former Argentina and Chile national coach Marcelo Bielsa.
That person, as Hay says in the actual tweeted reply (below), is none other than Victor Orta:
Orta was a journalist at one point. It’s him who knows Bielsa and has been pushing this
— Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) June 2, 2018
Orta is something of a contentious figure at Elland Road, with many fans complaining about his influence as Director of Football and the ‘failings’ of many of his scouted signings last summer.
In a way, the blame apportioned to Orta is understandable. Leeds United fans were hoping that their side would kick on from the 2016/17 campaign where they finished a creditable 7th in the table.
However, the bulk of the Orta-led signings weren’t really up to scratch and that particular gripe has developed into very real vitriol and demands for “Orta out!”
However, this news from Hay may mediate some of the hatred coming Orta’s way. The supposedly imminent appointment of Marcelo Bielsa, an appointment which has Leeds fans genuinely excited, is that high-profile name that has been long demanded.
News that Bielsa was being pursued by Leeds United initially came as a welcome shock to Leeds United fans. This intensified after the Whites sacked Paul Heckingbottom and foreign journalists such as Fernando Carlos of ESPN Argentina stated there was a higher degree of certainty of Bielsa arriving.
Regardless of whether Victor Orta “was a journalist at one point” as Hay points out in his tweet, it’s the here and now that Leeds United fans deal in. Should Bielsa arrive as Leeds United manager then Orta might go up in fans’ estimations especially if he’s the one that “has been pushing this.”
