New Leeds coach Jesse Marsch revealed he had been tempted to convince the club to retain Marcelo Bielsa until the end of the season.
Bielsa was sacked on Sunday after a series of heavy defeats left Leeds facing a Premier League relegation battle and American Marsch was appointed the next day.
The 48-year-old former RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg manager was identified by Leeds as a possible successor to Bielsa in the summer and said he did not want the Argentinian's tenure to end in the way it did.
Marsch said: "Yeah, I said that. I think I was ready to say that. At the time, if you go back two weeks, I wasn't a 100% sure that I was definitely the next coach of Leeds United.
"I hoped, based on our positive conversations and exchanges that that was going to be a high possibility, but I wasn't sure.
"I know what it's like, I just left a team halfway through the season and it's never a good feeling. I've learned in this business that jealousy is a terrible thing. Trying to judge people for failures and successes is never good.
"Finding the right fit and being in a good situation where you vibe with everything around you is often what determines success for a manager.
"I wanted Marcelo to finish on a high note and the club to finish on a high note with Marcelo and the fans. If it was possible for me to be the next I was very open to it."
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