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Bielsa: We would have been promoted with James

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Image for Bielsa: We would have been promoted with James

Marcelo Bielsa has said that if Leeds had signed Daniel James from Swansea in January, they would have won automatic promotion. 

Bielsa was talking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Aston Villa on Sunday, but added that the club had done everything they could to bring him in.

Leeds had thought they’d signed James when the player passed a medical at Elland Road, only for Swansea to pull out of the deal on deadline day.

BBC journalist Adam Pope quoted Bielsa on his personal Twitter page.

OPINION

It’s rare for a manager to be as frank as Bielsa was in this press conference. Daniel James has been a revelation since January, playing brilliantly for Swansea and turning heads. Because of this it’s highly likely that other teams will be in for him in the summer and that his asking price will be higher. Bielsa said the club did everything they could to bring him in, but there’s a high probability that he would have signed if the financial terms had been more favourable to Swansea. The cost of that “saving” could be immense for Leeds if they go on to miss out on the lucrative promotion they were so close to this season. Leeds have missed goals in 2019 and James would have provided them or the assists for other players. He’s been a direct threat for Swansea with incredible speed – just what Leeds needed, with Jack Harrison failing to shine on too many occasions recently. However, Bielsa also said that Leeds should have finished in the top two without him and it’s hard to argue with that. 

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