Marcelo Bielsa is out after two years at Athletic Bilbao. The Basque club decided against offering him a new contract and will not search for a new manager.
Marceloa Bielsa out at Athletic Bilbao
Athetic Bilbao decided not to offer Marcelo Bielsa a new contract and will now look for a new manager.
Denis Doyle
Bielsa was hired in the summer of 2011 and had a wonderful first season with the club, advancing to the Copa del Rey and Europa League finals, but things soured last season. Bielsa nearly left the club before the first match of the season after a spat with the president and he spent much of the fall feuding with star striker Fernando Llorente. At one point in the season they found themselves in the relegation mix, although they rebounded to finish in 12th place.
Bielsa is nicknamed “El Loco” for a reason and not just for the unusual, daring and exciting way he has his teams play. He’s a menace on the touchline and Athletic will not be the first job he has left under less than ideal circumstances. But Bielsa has had success in a lot of stops and should find another job soon, whether it be internationally, back in his home country of Argentina or back in Spain.
Athletic have quite the rebuilding project this summer, with their manager now joining Llorente as offseason departures. They are one of three teams to have never dropped out of the first division of Spanish football and need to do some work or they may flirt with the drop again this season.
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