Victor Orta has revealed that he held productive talks with Paulo Fonseca to take over as Leeds United manager after Marcelo Bielsa left the club.
The Spaniard spent six years at Leeds United as the club's director of football. One of his big successes was helping the Whites land Marcelo Bielsa as their manager, but when it was time to replace him, things didn't go to plan. Orta has now revealed who he tried to appoint at the time.
The Argentine changed everything about the Whites and made them a fantastic side to watch. His first season in the Premier League was a terrific one too - they finished ninth, just 10 points behind third-place Liverpool.
In the following season, Leeds were in a terrible position in February. They had lost four games on the bounce with an aggregate score of 17-2, and the Whites had to make a decision.
Bielsa was shown the door and Jesse Marsch was brought in, but Victor Orta has now revealed that before appointing the American, he tried to get Paulo Fonseca to Elland Road.
At the TransferRoom congress in Portugal, Orta said, as per Record: "I looked for Paulo Fonseca to replace Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds. In addition to natural ability and leadership, there is also the emotional part.
"We have to believe that people have a positive emotional side. It was a productive conversation. Before we thought how we were going to find someone who would work and this TransferRoom tool helps with that. It's useful to understand how a coach can work in a project."
The 50-year-old took charge of French side Lille last season and helped them finish fifth, five places and 12 points higher than the previous campaign. Fonseca is still at Lille and is doing a decent job. His side are currently fourth, and if things go to plan, they could finish in one of the Champions League places.
Leeds had a disastrous time under Jesse Marsch. They managed just 11 wins in 37 games and even though he wasn't there when they got relegated, performances under him were the reason why the Whites went down.
If Orta had landed Fonseca instead of Marsch, perhaps Leeds would still be in the Premier League.