February 28, (THEWILL) – Former RB Leipzig manager Jesse Marsch has been confirmed as Leeds United’s new head coach. The 48-year-old has agreed to a contract with the Elland Road club until June 2025.
Marsch, who has also coached the New York Red Bulls and Red Bull Salzburg, left the German club after a five-month stint in December last year. And, once a work permit is approved, the American will take over from Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa, who was fired on Sunday.
After a sequence of heavy defeats, Leeds are 16th in the Premier League table, two points above the relegation zone, which forced the club to part ways with Bielsa.
Victor Orta, the director of football at Leeds, said: “We are delighted to welcome Jesse to the club and excited for him to lead us into this new chapter,” Leeds United.
“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 joined RB Leipzig as Ralf Rangnick’s assistant after leaving Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls in 2018. In June 2019, he was appointed to RB Salzburg.
At his first season in Salzburg, he won both the league and the cup footnoting a successful managerial experience. Before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2019, he was involved in the development of striker Erling Braut Haaland.
In April of last year, he returned to Leipzig as head coach, succeeding Julian Nagelsmann, who had left to take charge of Bayern Munich. Marsch, who had previously been associated with the Celtic managerial post, passed his Uefa Pro Licence in Scotland.
Angus Kinnear, the chief executive at Leeds United, was delighted at the prospect of having Marsch at the club. He said: “We are really pleased to have quickly secured the services of our first-choice head coach.
“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.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
