Jesse Marsch’s trust for director of football Victor Orta shows Leeds’ top team is united

With responsibilities increasingly shared out, the importance of trust between those at the top of football clubs was illustrated by Chelsea sacking manager Thomas Tuchel this week, followed by briefings about relationships breaking down.

Orta may have been unable to deliver the senior centre-forward Marsch wanted on deadline day – he had to settle for 18-year-old Italy international Willy Gnonto instead – but the rest of the signings Leeds made in a busy transfer window came quickly, and with Marsch's fingerprints all over them.

Where one of Tuchel's problems appeared to be that he was dragged too much into transfer business by having an unqualified director of football (owner Todd Boehly did the job), Marsch was largely able to leave it to others and focus on working with his existing players.

"I trust Victor explicitly and Andrea (Radrizzani, the chairman) has been a great partner as well. When we go through (the list of transfer targets) it’s not just picking names out of the air," said the American. "Victor and his scouting team have this down to a science almost. He has a strategy in place and we enact that.

"I think we operate on the same frequency. The only thing is understanding his English sometimes! I understand more his mannerisms and his energy even when I don’t understand his English.

"We have a great relationship. He comes every day with passion and as much as he comes with energy he’s also a good listener, so when it comes for us to have really important discussions we can really quickly get to the core of what we want, which is effective. I think you have to include Angus (Kinnear, the chief executive) and his ability to work closely with us and get the balance right of being a real calm presence, a level-head and logically think about solutions in addition to the emotion and the passion he and I have.

"Victor is the reason I’m here more than anything."