Leeds United are one of the most iconic English clubs. The Yorkshire club was formed in 1919. Leeds United have won three English league titles (Premier League), one FA Cup, one League Cup, two Charity/Community Shields and two Inter-Cities Fairs Cups. The club was competing in the semi-final of the Champions League as recently as in 2001.
Leeds were relegated to the Championship in 2004 and were in a bad financial position. They failed to cope with the situation and were further relegated to League One in 2007. It was in 2010 that they earned promotion back to the Championship.
It took 16 years for Leeds United to be back in the Premier League. It saw them change 15 permanent managers to finally find the road back to the Premier League.
WE ARE BACK!!! @PremierLeague
— Leeds United (@LUFC) July 17, 2020
The golden phase of Leeds United started when club owner Andrea Radrizzani appointed one of the most renowned managers, Marcelo Bielsa in 2018. ‘El Loco’ has coached clubs like Athletic Bilbao along with many international teams like Argentina and Chile during his long managerial career. Bielsa has been praised for his coaching techniques by great managers like Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino.
Marcelo Bielsa almost succeeded in his first season at Elland Road to bring the Whites back to the Premier League. They started the campaign well but faltered at the end before Derby County got the better of them in a playoff classic.
El Loco was not the one to repeat the same mistakes again. From the very start, Leeds were focussed to earn promotion back to the Premier League. Marcelo Bielsa’s side had a fantastic campaign on the pitch, setting a new club record points tally of 90, with one game still left to play.
There have been many memorable moments throughout this season. From the opening win at Bristol City to the infamous 5-4 victory against Birmingham City and of course Pablo Hernandez’s late winner at Swansea City. The win against Derby County on Sunday was Leeds’ 27th win in the division this season. They are now crowned as winners of the Championship.
🏆 CHAMPIONE! CHAMPIONE! pic.twitter.com/ph4ajQPNht
— Leeds United (@LUFC) July 19, 2020
Leeds United’s homegrown midfielder Kalvin Phillips has been one of the most instrumental figures in their recent success. The 24-year-old told BBC Radio Leeds: “It’s crazy. When the manager first came in I never thought I would be in this position two years down the line. The manager and the coaching staff are a massive part of that. He’s the best manager in the world. There’s no manager I would rather be under than Marcelo Bielsa right now.”
“At an age when I’m trying to develop, he’s the perfect manager to have. The Premier League is the best league in the world and, after 16 years, we’re back in there.”
Leeds United captain Liam Cooper said Premier League promotion took Leeds back to “where we’ve always belonged”. He told BBC Radio Leeds: “It’s unbelievable and it’s still not properly sunk in. Our club, our fans and our players have sacrificed so much – we’ve been in the doldrums for 16 years.”
“To be part of this team and to lead this team to promotion back to where we know we’ve always belonged is unbelievable.”
“We deserve it – we’ve been the best team all season on a consistent level and we’ve got the job done. We set out to get promoted and now we want to go and be champions and lift that trophy.”
The Whites are finally back in the Premier League after 16 years!
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