Marcelo Bielsa has been speaking to the media ahead of Leeds United’s trip to Reading on Tuesday night, and has hinted that the Whites will be in for a quiet summer should the club secure Premier League football.
The Argentine was asked during his press conference who from the current squad he felt could make the step up from the Championship to the top-tier in England.
Bielsa gave his usual reserved response to the suggestion rather than going full-blown and said that everyone on the club’s books is capable of challenging for more than survival, but did hint that the Whites would not be following the same path Fulham took a year ago.
The Cottagers caught a lot of eyes in the summer when they spendt more than £100million on a squad refurb, rather than trusting the men who got them to the big time like AFC Bournemouth, who have established themselves in mid-table since winning the 2014-15 Championship title.
According to quotes published by Leeds Live, Bielsa said: “I haven’t analysed the Premier League so I’m not ready to make this kind of comparison now.
“But I can tell you any player that plays for Leeds now, they could play without any problems in the two European teams that I trained for some time, Marseille and Bilbao. I can make this comparison because I know both teams.
“And as I haven’t analysed the Premier League I can’t give you a convinced answer.”
That praise would suggest that Bielsa sees the current crop at Elland Road as being worthy of proving their skills in the Premier League, and would only look to add depth and maybe a few top talents in the next transfer window.
There are a few areas of the squad that will need strengthening if we do earn promotion, such as upfront and creative midfield, with the manager currently only able to turn to Patrick Bamford to spearhead his attack while Kemar Roofe is out injured.