West Bromwich Albion manager Carlos Corberán has shared insights into how his time at Leeds United, particularly his role in the recruitment of Marcelo Bielsa, played a pivotal role in shaping his career.
In a conversation with Panenka in Spain about his professional journey, Corberán, who joined West Brom in October last year after a brief stint with Olympiacos in Greece, reflected on his diverse coaching experiences. His career trajectory includes starting as a coach at Villarreal, moving to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad Club, returning to Spain with Alcorcon’s youth team, and managing teams like Al-Nassr, Doxa Katokopias, and Ermis Aradippou.
Corberán’s English venture began in 2017 when he joined Leeds’ U21 setup as a coach. He not only maintained this role but also became an integral part of Marcelo Bielsa’s first-team coaching staff during Bielsa’s tenure at Elland Road. Corberán played a crucial role in the process of bringing Bielsa to Leeds, as he was part of the team sent to Argentina by director of football Victor Orta to persuade the esteemed coach to join the club.
Recalling the experience, Corberán explained, “My journey at Leeds started with Iván Bravo, who managed the Aspire Academy in Qatar and currently presides over Alcorcón. Andrea Radrizzani chose him to coordinate the project, and he, in turn, selected Victor Orta as the sports director and me as the coach for the reserve team, with the aim of implementing a game model consistent with that of the first team.”
He continued, “Later, Victor and Andrea proposed that I join the first team as part of a future plan; the chosen coach was Marcelo Bielsa. I traveled with them to Buenos Aires to meet Marcelo and present the project to him. The agreement we reached with him marked another turning point in my career. I was fortunate to live and work for two years with one of the world’s best coaches.”