Paul Heckingbottom has revealed that he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work at a big club such as Leeds United and explained his way of thinking matches owner Andrea Radrizzani after talks with him.
The 40-year-old was confirmed as the new Whites manager on Tuesday and is the successor to Thomas Christiansen.
He has penned an 18-month deal at Elland Road and left Championship rivals Barnsley to make his move.
Heckingbottom was attracted to the size of Yorkshire giants Leeds and help positive talks with the club’s hierarchy.
Owner Radrizzani and Director of Football Victor Orta are desperate to get the club back into the Premier League, with the task now falling on the new man.
“I can’t wait to get started. It’s a big opportunity, a big club and something you work hard for, so I’m going to make the most of it,” he told Sky Sports, as quoted by their transfer centre blog (12:07pm, Tuesday).
“The size of the club is appealing. When I spoke to the owners they were really aligned in how I was thinking and how I like to work and that’s the reason why they thought I was the right man for the job because I’m aligned with how they want to work. That’ll be good for us going forward.”
OPINION
Leeds have acted very quickly to name their new manager and that will give Heckingbottom the chance to meet his players before a pivotal match away to Sheffield United at the weekend. The Whites will be hoping a new appointment can help turn the club’s poor form around as they are slipping away from the top six at a rapid rate. Heckingbottom’s new outfit are seven points adrift of the play-off positions and will have to go on a great run to make up the ground. There may be some doubters surrounding his appointment, but he should be given full backing from supporters at the start of his tenure and he does have great potential.