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Joe Mewis

Ruthless decision ensures Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United Premier League legacy will live on

Bournemouth's ruthless decision to reward Gary O'Neil's against-the-odds Premier League survival campaign by sacking him means that Cherries fans will be treated to a type of football that is likely to be very familiar to Leeds United supporters.

Just two-and-a-half hours after Bournemouth had stunned the football world with their announcement that O'Neil was out of the door at Dean Court, they confirmed that Andoni Iraola will replace him. That is a familiar name to the Leeds faithful as he was the early favourite to take over at Elland Road when Jesse Marsch was sacked back in February.

Iraola decided to remain at Rayo Vallecano rather than take up Victor Orta's offer of a Premier League relegation dogfight, but after declining to extend his deal with the La Liga side, now finds himself in charge of the Cherries. That means there will, no doubt, be plenty of Whites supporters watching on next season and wondering what could have been.

Iraola is very much a Marcelo Bielsa disciple, having played under the former Leeds United head coach for two seasons at Athletic Bilbao between 2011 and 2013 and has previously spoken about how he utilises his former boss' methods in his own coaching career.

READ MORE: Leeds United news LIVE: Manager interviews latest, Bournemouth land Iraola

"I've been very lucky to have played under him for two seasons as a player," Iraola told Sky Sports earlier this year. "I think he has another vision of football and they were very good two seasons for us and for me, it was a different knowledge.

"I use a lot of exercises from Marcelo that I learned from him. I use a lot of things, especially with the ball. Offensively his teams are very dynamic. You have to be demanding. Marcelo was really demanding with his players. It's the only way to achieve the big goals to explore your limits."

The Cherries open their Premier League campaign with a home match against West Ham United on August 12.

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