WE CAN BE THE NEW WOLVES
Phillips believes new boss Bielsa can take Leeds back to Prem
LEEDS star Kalvin Phillips reckons new boss Marcelo Bielsa can lead them to the title.
Wolves stormed the Championship last season under Portuguese coach Nuno Espirito Santo, who arrived from competing in the Champions League with Porto and invested heavily in players.
It prompted Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani (above, with Bielsa) to complain about Molineux’s links with agent Jorge Mendes.
But Radrizzani has since hired his own high-profile coach Bielsa, 63, who Pep Guardiola credits as his mentor and says is “the best coach in the world”.
Now Leeds players like Phillips (right) reckon the Argentinian can be the catalyst who gets them back to the Premier League.
The midfielder said: “Wolves had a really good season and I think we can do exactly the same. Everyone would like that to happen.
“We’ve got a new, great coach and we’re just working hard, looking forward to it and hoping we can get as many good results as possible to be there at the end. “Some of the best managers in the world speak very highly of him. We’ve heard that he was very good with young players and makes them better. “We’ve had a good pre-season and are hoping to start the season well. He knows a lot about football and just wants to get that into his players and make sure we know exactly how we’re going to play.” Bielsa has been drilling the Leeds squad on the training ground using translators ahead of their first game on Sunday at home to Stoke, who last night signed Everton’s Ashley Williams on loan. Phillips says they are starting to get to grips with Bielsa’s personality and demands. Speaking at the EFL season launch, he added: “When you look at him, he does seem a bit scary. But he is human, he does tell jokes and does have a laugh – he’s just very passionate about what he does. “He’s quite emotional, so if you aren’t doing something right he then goes out of his way to make sure you know about it. “Like he will say, ‘You pass the ball well’ and you’re thinking, ‘Great, thank you’ then he’ll say, ‘But not as well as him!’”