Leeds United’s Junior Firpo – ‘We’d rather have gone down with Marcelo Bielsa than be saved by Jesse Marsch’

Former Barcelona and Real Betis full-back Junior Firpo claims that the Leeds United players would rather have gone down with Marcelo Bielsa two seasons ago than remain in the Premier League.

The 27-year-old in part moved to Leeds for Sporting Director Victor Orta, now at Sevilla, and manager Marcelo Bielsa, both of whom departed not long after his arrival. The previous season he had turned down Inter in order to keep his family stable as his son was in intensive care in Barcelona at the time. That was at the end of his first season in Catalonia, but by the time his second summer came round, he was ready to leave. Firpo explained that it was Orta who he spoke to first.

“The first was Victor Orta, the Sporting Director. He was very on top of things. He is interested in you, in your family, he is the first to write to you if you are injured, he helps you in many day-to-day things… There was also Bielsa and his coaching staff, who were Spanish-speaking and I was going to be able to communicate much better, although I also speak English. They had done very well the previous season, close to the European positions.”

“Of course, it was also the Premier League – I wanted to play there, it is the best league in the world. The Leeds dressing room is one of the best I’ve ever been in. Look, the other day –  Wednesday, eight in the evening, -3 degrees, the vast majority have to work the next day… and Elland Road was full. And we just got relegated, huh.”

The Dominican Republic international, who is hoping to make to the Olympics next year, explained exactly how Marcelo Bielsa justified his ‘El Loco’ [The crazy guy] nickname, to Relevo.

“He was a little crazy, as his nickname says, but for the better. He was very obsessive with detail.