Leeds have been promoted to the Premier League
Leeds have been promoted to the Premier League

Leeds back in the Premier League: Marcelo Bielsa's side promoted from Sky Bet Championship after West Brom lose at Huddersfield


Leeds United are back in the Premier League after a 16-year absence as West Brom's defeat at Huddersfield confirmed promotion for Marcelo Bielsa's side.

With two games left to spare, Leeds cannot now be caught by either the Baggies or Brentford so will definitely finish in one of the top two automatic promotion spots in the Sky Bet Championship.

Bielsa's side battled their way to a scruffy win over Barnsley to move to the brink of the promised land, and they achieved their ultimate goal without having to kick a ball again as West Brom failed to keep up the pressure.

The Baggies could well know have blown their chances as they sit nervously looking over their shoulders at flying Brentford, who are just a point behind Slaven Bilic's side with a game in hand.

All eyes will now be on Brentford on Saturday as they travel to Stoke City knowing that a win would put them into second place in the table and just one more win away from an unbelievable achievement of joining Leeds in the Premier League.

The result was also massive for Danny Cowley's Terriers, who leap up into 17th place and six points away from the drop zone.

Long road back for Leeds

It has been a long and often tortuous road back for Leeds, who were relegated from the Premier League in 2004 amid a spectacular financial meltdown.

The West Yorkshire club have spent 13 seasons in the Championship and three in League One after dropping into the third tier for the first time in their history in 2007.

Leeds' debts had spiralled to over £100million in 2003 under former chairman Peter Ridsdale and there were fears the club could go out of business.

They were forced to sell all their players and other assets, including Elland Road Stadium and their Thorp Arch academy, and have since stumbled from crisis to crisis under a succession of different owners.

From crisis to crisis

Leeds went into administration in 2007 under Ken Bates and fared little better under subsequent owners GFH Capital before the arrival of controversial Italian Massimo Cellino.

During Cellino's chaotic three-year ownership Leeds had seven different managers, but current owner Andrea Radrizzani bought a 50 per cent stake in Leeds in January 2017 to signal the dawning of a new era.

Radrizzani purchased the remaining 50 per cent from Cellino the following May and Leeds made a bold statement of intent by appointing Marcelo Bielsa in the summer of 2018.

It was an expensive gamble, but Bielsa proved an instant hit, transforming the same squad he inherited into genuine promotion challengers in his first season.


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