Frank Lampard makes Marcelo Bielsa claim over shock Leeds United, Derby County Spygate incident | OneFootball

One of the major off-field events in the Championship over the past half-decade has been the infamous 'Spygate' incident involving Leeds United and Derby County - though the fortunes of both teams have changed massively since the Rams got the better of their Yorkshire counterparts.

Derby were the team to advance to the play-offs after one of the most thrilling play-off double-headers of all time, though losing to Aston Villa in the final at Wembley, they had to face Leeds the following season.

The Whites went up under Marcelo Bielsa and spent three years in the Premier League, whilst Derby were handed a 21-point deduction in the 2021/22 season and suffered relegation to the third-tier.

Frank Lampard, who was Derby boss at the time of the Spygate incident, let his feelings known at the time - and he's gone again in a podcast appearance, dictating his views on Marcelo Bielsa.

What Frank Lampard said about the Leeds United spygate incident

Speaking to The Unfiltered Podcast, the former Rams boss was unequivocal in his praise for Bielsa - though he did lose some respect for him up until the Spygate saga finished.

He said: “It felt like a success, I was proud of that. We went to Leeds and beat an amazing Leeds team, they were brilliant, they beat us three times, and it was special for me as a coach to go up to one of the greatest modern day coaches. In terms of ideas, he’s a great coach.

“He was unique. We played them in my second game. He came into the office and he was fine, but he didn’t speak the language at all. He was different to what I’m used to. I respected his quirkiness, he was really intelligent in a football sense, complete respect for him up until beating them.

"Even with the Spygate stuff, that story ran away, at the time I wanted to say something about it, but I wasn’t that bothered. I defended myself and defended the club as I saw it.”

What happened between Leeds United and Derby County in the Spygate incident

Leading up to a 2-0 win over Derby County on January 16, 2019, then-Leeds boss Bielsa admitted he had sent a spy to Derby’s training ground to take in the sessions and see what they were planning against the Whites.

Lampard heavily criticised Bielsa for the incident, and that led to an EFL investigation, with the whole incident being dubbed ‘Spygate’ by the press.

Bielsa called an emergency press conference on January 16, where some thought he would be offering his resignation from the Elland Road post; however, he gave a detailed PowerPoint presentation on the thorough approach to his job - with those in attendance labelling it a masterclass before continuing with the season.

Leeds were fined £200,000 for the incident and a new rule was brought in where clubs could not watch their opponents train 72 hours or less before a game.

Later in the season, the duo faced each other in the play-offs. Despite Leeds winning 1-0 in the first leg at Pride Park, the Rams got the better of Leeds with Jack Marriott’s late goal being the difference to send Derby to Wembley - though they lost to Aston Villa at the national ground.