American coach Jesse Marsch has been appointed as Leeds United manager pending international clearance, the Premier League club confirmed on Monday.
Marsch, a former RB Leipzig and New York Red Bulls coach, replaces Marcelo Bielsa, who was sacked on Sunday following a downturn in results. Marsch’s contract will run until June 2025, and his first game in charge will be Saturday’s trip to Leicester City.
Marsch, 48, becomes the third American to coach in England’s top-flight division, with Bob Bradley (Swansea) and David Wagner (Huddersfield) preceding him.
“I have to identify how to do the important things and simple things right away, before building the complexity moving forward,” Marsch said. “We have all the tools here. I’m here to help this group understand how we can get better and handling the moment right now, we have to stay calm and control what we can control. We are still in a good situation where we control all of our destiny.”
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Leeds removed Bielsa after seeing the club slide into a relegation battle following a run of one point from six games. Bielsa’s final match in charge was a 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, which followed a 6-0 humiliation at Liverpool.
“We are delighted to welcome Jesse to the club and excited for him to lead us into this new chapter,” Leeds director of football Victor Orta said in a statement.
Marsch left Bundesliga side Leipzig by mutual consent in December, five months after taking charge. He had replaced Julian Nagelsmann in July last year when his predecessor left for Bayern Munich, but Leipzig — last season’s Bundesliga runners-up — were 11th in the league when he was dismissed.
Marsch previously won two Austrian league titles at Austrian club FC Salzburg. He began his managerial career in Major League Soccer with the Montreal Impact in 2011 before taking over at the Red Bulls. Ralf Rangnick, now Manchester United‘s interim manager, employed Marsch as his assistant during his time at Leipzig.
“Jesse is someone we identified a number of years ago during his time at [Salzburg] and we believe his philosophy and style of football aligns with that of the club and will suit the players very well,” Orta said. “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 spent 13 years in MLS at D.C. United, Chicago Fire, and Chivas USA during his playing days, and he also made two appearances for the USMNT.
In sacking Bielsa, Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani said it was “the toughest decision I have had to make during my tenure at Leeds,” while the club added that plans for a permanent tribute to Bielsa at Elland Road are under way and more information will be released in due course.
