Former Leeds boss David O’Leary is backing Marcelo Bielsa to end the club’s 16-year exile from the Premier League.
Bielsa has guided Leeds to the top of the Championship and O’Leary is confident he can finish the job after the crushing disappointment of missing out in the play-offs last season.
O’Leary, who was in charge during Leeds’ most-recent glory run from 1998 to 2002, claims the Elland Road outfit would add much to the Premier League.
“They’re on the verge,” he said. “Speaking to the owner earlier, it feels like they were in this position last year, but just let it slip at the very end.
“They would be a team that would be a great fit for the Premier League. I really hope they come up, they’ve got great support.
“I honestly hope so because I think they would be a great addition to the Premier League.
“They’re mirroring where they were last year. Come the last 10 games, they never got the job done.
“This time I hope they get the job done. They are a side that if they come up they will invest and hold their own. They have a wonderful coach that will help them along the way.”
O’Leary summarised for the BBC on Leeds’ FA Cup loss to Arsenal at the Emirates, when they won praise for their display, and the Irishman claims he has been following his old side this season.
“I don’t know if the audience are shocked, but I’ve seen Leeds three times this season,” he said.
“Every time I’ve come away thinking how fit they are, they want to take people on, they move the ball around quickly, that’s what they have come here and done.
“The city is a city that if their football teams is doing well, they will fill the stadium and I hope they get the job done this season.”
