Leeds United manager Maerco Bielsa has said his contract situation at the Premier League club has been “resolved".
The 66-year-old did not go into any details at a press conference before Leeds' opening game of the season at Manchester United on Saturday but indicated that he has agreed to remain at Elland Road for another season.
“The contract situation is one that is already resolved,” Bielsa said through a translator. “One year is habitual.”
There had been no information that a new deal had been reached despite the new campaign being just days away. But club chief executive Angus Kinnear has claimed Bielsa’s willingness to let his contract situation rumble on is due to his “lack of interest in it” as he focuses on preparing his team.
The Argentine, who joined the Yorkshire side in 2018 and led them to promotion from the Championship in 2020, also praised the club's owners for their commitment to improving training facilities and infrastructure.
“From my point of view, this is an extraordinary club,” he said. “It's not often you have a club that designates so much volume of investment to the improvement of the training facilities.
“Leeds have made a significant contribution economically to provide the tools for a manager to prepare to be the ideal ones.
“Everything we need in this area, the club has resolved it with very high investment … I’m astounded by the conduct of the club.”
On the playing side, Leeds have made Jack Harrison's loan move from Manchester City permanent one, signed Junior Firpo from Barcelona and also completed deals for youngsters Amari Miller, Lewis Bate, Kristoffer Klaesson and Sean McGurk.
“I'm satisfied with the group I'm working with,” he said, while refusing to comment on whether other deals were in the pipeline. “I couldn't tell you about hypothetical situations but what I can tell you is the group of players I have I'm happy with.”
Firpo will be available to take on old rivals United on Saturday, but defender Diego Llorente is “one or two weeks” away from being fit, according to Bielsa.
In their first season back in the Premier League for 16 years, Leeds sealed a ninth-place finish with Bielsa winning plenty of plaudits along the way for his commitment to attacking football.
“Ninth in the table is a good position but I don't want to exaggerate something that is not that great,” Bielsa told Sky Sports earlier this week.
“We are going to try to improve all aspects of our play. We have weak points which we showed over the course of last season. Now is the time to correct those things and do things more effectively.
“I believe that in football, there is very little margin to invent or create new things. What we will try to do is to improve the things we have been doing up until now. Yes, we are now better known to our rivals. But they are also better known to us.”
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EShaffra%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDIFC%20Innovation%20Hub%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Emetaverse-as-a-Service%20(MaaS)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Ecurrently%20closing%20%241.5%20million%20seed%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%20Abu%20Dhabi%20and%20different%20PCs%20and%20angel%20investors%20from%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Leaderboard
15 under: Paul Casey (ENG)
-14: Robert MacIntyre (SCO)
-13 Brandon Stone (SA)
-10 Laurie Canter (ENG) , Sergio Garcia (ESP)
-9 Kalle Samooja (FIN)
-8 Thomas Detry (BEL), Justin Harding (SA), Justin Rose (ENG)
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TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
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John Heminway, Knopff
Zayed Sustainability Prize
INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
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Without Remorse
Directed by: Stefano Sollima
Starring: Michael B Jordan
4/5
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