Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani revealed on Monday that he wanted to appoint former Chelsea, Juventus, and Italy manager Antonio Conte for the same role at Leeds this summer, before ultimately landing Marcelo Bielsa.

Conte, who left Chelsea in July after two seasons, was part of a shortlist for the Leeds job that Radrizzani said included former Premier League-winning manager Claudio Ranieiri and current Belgium boss Roberto Martinez.

“Conte [was on the list] and with him, we would have been certain of promotion to the Premier League,” Radrizzani told Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I would even have offered him €20m. Then I interviewed Ranieri who was attracted by our interest, but declined as he was waiting for a call from a top-flight club.

“I even spoke to Martinez, but Belgium were an obstacle.

However, after internal discussions at the club, Bielsa was identified as the “ideal candidate”.

“At the end of May, I spoke with our director of football [Victor] Orta and he said Bielsa would be ideal, but that it would be impossible [to get him].

“Those words just motivated me even more and we negotiated for a few days then reached an agreement at £3m, which he shares with his staff, and a one year plus one year option as duration.

“We finished negotiations after ten hours of conversation in Buenos Aires. He’d studied 20 of our games and already knew all the players, including the youngsters.

“It seemed impossible to get him here, but he’s our top player. We are a Premier League club, and even more so with him.”

So far, hiring Bielsa has paid off, with the Argentine having become the first manager in Leeds history to win his first four games in charge.

They will go top of the Championship table with a win against Swansea City on Tuesday, having won three from three so far in the league to go with a Carabao Cup win over Bolton Wanderers.

Bielsa’s brand of thrilling football has instantly earned him plaudits after his fast start with Leeds.