Bielsa to revolutionise Marseille

Marseille president Vincent Labrune revealed on Friday that he wants new coach Marcelo Bielsa to revolutionise the club.

Bielsa has been linked with Marseille for months, with the Argentine coach regularly spotted at Stade Velodrome watching the Ligue 1 club play.

Marseille confirmed on Friday that Bielsa will sign a two-year contract in the coming weeks and Labrune explained that he sees the 58-year-old as the perfect man to take the French south coast side to another level.

“We hope to turn a corner with Marcelo,” Labrune told RMC radio.

“It’s going to be a cultural revolution but also a structural one.

“I think it’s a necessary step to help Marseille deal with a new economic environment and especially new rivals.

“I came to (Marseille) for that. I have set up a new organization and Bielsa must provide me (with a revolution).”

Labrune sacked Elie Baup as Marseille’s coach in December after a 1-0 loss at home to Nantes, which saw the perennial Ligue 1 contenders drop to fifth in the table, while they had also been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League with six defeats in as many games.

Under caretaker coach Jose Anigo, Marseille look set to finish sixth in the French top tier, which will see them fail to qualify for European football next season.

With a ‘long-term project’ in mind, Labrune targeted coaches he rates at ‘a very high level’ and eventually settled on the former Athletic Bilbao boss.

“I focused on the profile that fit with my long-term project,” the 43-year-old media mogul said.

“I saw only three coaches but all of a very high level; Andre Villas Boas, Marcelo Bielsa and Quique Sanchez Flores.

“Builders, specifically, all three told me that our squad has talent. We are not starting from scratch, although we realize we’ve had a bad season.

“Bielsa was on board with what I had started to build last summer and the recruitment of young players that will advance at all levels.”