Mateusz Klich has revealed his message to CEO Angus Kinnear before going out on loan to FC Utrecht in 2018.
It looked like the Poland international's time at Elland Road was over when he moved to the Netherlands on loan in 2018, just 18 months after joining the Whites.
Yet his Leeds career was rejuvenated under Marcelo Bielsa on his return in the summer of 2018 and he has proved a key player for the Argentine ever since.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Klich revealed he felt there was unfinished business with the Whites when he moved to the Netherlands - and he told Kinnear as much.
He said: "I went on loan to Holland but I told Angus that I had unfinished business at Leeds and I know I can play here.
"I was training here, I was close to the team and I knew I could do it but I just didn't have the chance to prove it.
"I went on loan, I did everything I could to be back and then Marcelo Bielsa came and he transformed me.
"The rest is history."
Klich said his motivation for wanting to stay at Leeds were due to the fact he had yet to spend a significant amount of time at a club.
The former Kaiserslautern midfielder revealed he felt the Whites had a good chance to play in the Premier League, which turned out to be accurate.
He said: "I thought it was a good place to be and a place I wanted to stay for longer.
"My career was one season, then a season on loan, then one season here and there and I'd never been longer than two seasons anywhere.
"I wanted to stay for longer and I thought Leeds was the perfect place to do so.
"Especially as we could play in the Premier League - and we made it."
