Leeds United defender Pontus Jansson has claimed that people laughed at him for believing that the club could win promotion back to the Premier League.
United will have to go through the play-offs after handing their automatic promotion spot to Sheffield United in the past couple of weeks, but Marcelo Bielsa’s side are closer than ever to a return to the top flight.
And the talismanic Swede has suggested that the club were so far off that target when he joined in 2016 that it was a laughable prospect.
Speaking to Four Four Two, he said: “I came here directly in my first interview, on my first day, to say I really wanted to go to the Premier League with Leeds.
“I remember people laughed at me, but I had it as a motivation for myself and the people around me.
“But of course it’s a dream. Always, when I talk with those two words, ‘Leeds’ and ‘Premier League’ together, I get goosebumps all over my body. To go there, to play for Leeds, would be just amazing.
“Now, when it’s really that close, it’s just unbelievable if we get it.”
OPINION
Jansson is a firm favourite at Elland Road, and it’s easy to see why. The big Swede exudes passion and desire, and very time he steps out on to that pitch, you get the impression that he is willing to leave absolutely everything out there for the sake of the side. He’s not far wrong with his assessment of United’s progression either. When he joined, they were barely scraping by, and he has been part of a fantastic period of progress that has obviously been kicked into a whole new gear under Marcelo Bielsa. There will be a fair few people who will be disappointed by Leeds not going up automatically, and given their start to the season that is perhaps understandable, but when all is said and done, they have come so far under the Argentine that even if they miss out on promotion, this campaign has to be seen as a success. Jansson has been a key part of that success, and deserves all the plaudits he is given.