Leeds United are finally a Premier League team once again, and 16-years of pain and anguish has finally been extinguished.
Not only does this spell the end of arguably the worst period of the club’s history, it should spell a change in philosophy around the club.
Far too often in recent years, Leeds have sacrificed long-term aims for attempted short-term success, sacking manager after manager when things don’t go right straight away, and selling young players before they’re able to reach their potential.
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Talented managers have been cast aside by Leeds due to their lack of patience, with proven managers at Championship level such as Neil Warnock and Brian McDermott being given less than two years in the job.
It’s not just managers either, young players have been let go far too soon, with Leeds cashing in on the likes of Lewis Cook, Ronaldo Vieira and Sam Byram so that they can reinvest in players they thought would get them up quicker.
The short-term planning was bound to work eventually, but now that United are back in the top-flight they need to start thinking years in advance, implementing a proper philosophy at the club that will remain even after Marcelo Bielsa leaves.
This means making informed decisions in the transfer market and making sure that every move the club makes is moving towards a goal a few years down the line, whether that’s winning a piece of silverware, finishing in the top half or even qualifying for Europe.
For the first time in 16 years, Leeds can afford to progress slowly, just being in the Premier League is enough at the moment, and the financial boost that comes with being a top-flight team can set the club up for success down the line, and that’s how Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta have to approach the upcoming years.
