Marcelo Bielsa has single-handedly transformed the performances of a handful of individuals at Leeds United, but there is a suggestion that his refusal to give Lewis Baker an opportunity in the starting eleven is tarnishing his development.
Injury problems throughout the Whites’ squad have afforded first-team opportunities to the vast majority of the squad, but Baker remains a peripheral figure after one third of the new season.
Signed from Chelsea on a season-long loan, Baker’s switch was designed to ensure him of the first-team opportunities which would naturally elude him in west London, but the intention of the switch has not been realised thus far.
Kalvin Phillips has been a rock in a midfield anchor role and Mateusz Klich has performed like a man possessed under the Argentine, with five goals and five assists to his name from just seventeen Championship appearances.
The sparkling form of the aforementioned pairing have left Baker (valued at £4.95 million by Transfermarkt) redundant to the first-team, and twiddling his thumbs while waiting for an opportunity which seems unlikely to crop up anytime soon.
But it’s the familiar tale of a borderline injury crisis at Elland Road which provides the evidence to suggest that Baker’s time will come, and when it does he will need to be at the top of his game to kick-start his stuttering career.
After all, the Chelsea academy product is 23-years-old and hardly in a position to be content with a place on the substitutes bench, especially considering the level of his quality.
When Baker’s opportunity does arise this season it will be a true test of Bielsa’s man-management ability, as the quality of his form will represent a reflection on how well his fitness and understanding of Leeds’ style of play have been managed on the training ground during his time on the periphery.
Bielsa has already proven that he possesses a special ability to transform individuals in a short space of time, with Klich providing the most quintessential example and, if he can do the same with Baker by transforming him from a backup option to a key player in the race for promotion, his season with Leeds could mark a watershed spell in his fledgling career.
All Baker can do now is bide his time and hope that an opportunity surfaces in the coming weeks.
Leeds fans – thoughts? Let us know below!
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