Leeds United back in Premier League: The Journey
By Varun Aithal
Leeds United, the first of the EFL Championship clubs to gain promotion to the Premier League.
The wait is over for Leeds United fans! After spending 16 seasons in exile, Leeds are back in the Premier League with West Brom settling for a defeat against Huddersfield Town. They are too on the verge of winning the Championship if Brentford fails to register a victory over Stoke City.
The journey has been a difficult one for the Whites. It looked as if they were going to be promoted last season only to find themselves eliminated by Derby County in the dramatic playoffs. However, the mistakes weren’t repeated by Marcelo Bielsa’s men, as he ensured the same intensity from his side, post lockdown.
The fans are relieved now and will be hoping to wrap up the season with the Championship trophy in their cabinet. With the promotion to the top flight, Bielsa becomes the first-ever Leeds United manager after Howard Wilkinson to see his side getting promoted to the top-tier from the EFL.
The manager has played a big part in his side’s EPL quest. The team has faced lots of challenges and played against all odds in most cases, before ending their exile. Here is how things panned out for Leeds United since their relegation to England’s second-tier.
WE ARE BACK!!! @PremierLeague
— Leeds United (@LUFC) July 17, 2020
The pain of relegation
Leeds were a well-off side in the Premier League in the early 2000s and even appeared in the Champions League semifinals in 2001. However, the administration malfunction affected the club and the bad times started rolling in for them.
Due to their financial issues, the club got relegated in 2004 which marked their exile from the top flight. Despite relegation, Kevin Blackwell was almost there to get the side back into the Premier League in 2005-06. However, the Whites were placed in administration and were relegated to League One in 2007. Yet another setback!
To make matters worse, Leeds were deducted 15 points at the start of their 2007-08 season. It took three seasons for them to revive themselves from the shocks and were promoted to the Championship in 2010, after a series of stellar performances from Jermaine Beckford.