Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani has admitted he had no intention of sacking former manager Marcelo Bielsa.
But he claimed his hand was forced following a dismal run of form in the Premier League midway through last season.
Bielsa, who had guided Leeds back to the top flight and earned the admiration of the clubs’ fans, was replaced by American Jesse Marsch, who just about steered the Whites away from relegation.
“I’d never thought to sack Bielsa,” Radrizzani told The Athletic.
“I never thought this moment could happen, ever. He was a legend and he is a legend for what he achieved. I felt something was broken and that’s when you have a tipping point, but it was too soon to take a decision,” he added.
Bielsa’s dismissal caused an inevitable backlash from sections of the Leeds support, but Radrizzani had anticipated that.
He added: “I expected that [the reaction], but I needed to think about the club.
“I could see that the players, emotionally and physically, were really at the end.
“We needed to change, we needed something to impact the group. It was risky both ways.
“It wasn’t easy to decide whether to potentially die with him or die with someone else.”
Will Leeds name their training ground after Bielsa?
Radrizzani also revealed his plans to name the Leeds training ground after Bielsa.
The owner reached out to the ex-Chile and Marseille boss to get his reaction to the idea.
“I also have an idea that I shared with him, that one day I would love to build a university of football with his name [on it],” he wrote.
The Whites start their Premier League campaign on Saturday with the visit of Wolves to Elland Road.