Championship

Norwich & Sheff United will be jealous of Strachan’s Leeds claim

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OPINION

As an all-time great player and former Celtic, Coventry, Southampton and Middlesbrough manager, Gordon Strachan knows what it takes to get into the Premier League and stay there.

The flame-haired Scot can provide a historical perspective as well as a modern take on how promoted sides can thrive and adapt in the shark-infested waters of the top flight.

Strachan believes Leeds have an inbuilt advantage over so many teams on the cusp of the Premier League (yes, Norwich and Sheffield United, we’re looking at you) due to the club’s history and stadium.

Asked where the Yorkshire giants might be in two years’ time if they end their search for the holy grail, Strachan told Leeds Live: “A lot depends on investment now. It’s huge. Recruitment’s huge in football now, no matter what club you’re at, it’s not so much tactics, it’s recruitment.

“Leeds can drag people, a lot of players in because of the atmosphere, the stadium, the history. They can do more than most clubs that get promoted.”

Leeds fans will love this transfer claim from Strachan, who was a star player in their side that got promoted to the top division in 1990 and then won the league title two years later.

Certainly, Elland Road has a pull and attraction that other promoted clubs can’t match. Then, there is the history and prestige of a club who won the league title 27 years ago, as well as in the 1970s, and have reached a Champions League semi-final.

Norwich City and Sheffield United certainly can’t say the same. While money talks, and the best players usually end up at the best clubs while earning the best salaries, there are other marginal issues when it comes to recruitment.

Given a choice between the same money and the same playing role at Leeds or Norwich or Sheffield, the Yorkshire giants’ two automatic-promotion rivals wouldn’t stand a chance.

Carrow Road and Bramall Lane just don’t have the same allure or tradition. It’s enough to make them green with envy.

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