Leeds United assistant manager Christopher John has warned the club to expect a completely different story in the Premier League this season.
Tag 24 cover comments from the Leeds assistant today as he prepares for life back in the Premier League this year.
Leeds are returning to the top flight after a two-year absence, heading up as Championship champions after a fierce battle with Burnley that saw them both finish on 100 points apiece.
They’re very unlikely to be securing similar points tallies in the Premier League, with many putting them among the relegation favourites early on.
That has certainly proven to be the case in the last two seasons, with all three promoted sides going straight back down in the past two years as the gap between the Championship and the Premier League continues to widen.
Leeds managed to stay up for three seasons the last time they were promoted to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa, finishing ninth and 17th before being relegated in 2023 with a 19th placed finish.
They, then, know how to buck the trend but John has warned this season will be a very different one from last year.
“The Premier League is a completely different story,” he said.
“It will be a big deal for us. We also have to bear in mind that the promoted teams have been relegated straight back down again in the last two seasons.”
John also spoke about his very brief period working for Russian club FK Krasnodar, which makes even Leeds United sound like a gentle and calming experience: “We came out of the training camp and saw trains with tanks driving through the city. They always reassured us that there wouldn’t be a war. After the attack on Ukraine, they said: It’ll all be over in two or three days. But it was too much for us. Even though the people were very friendly and the training centre was top-notch, we just wanted to get out.”
Tag 24 report John is currently enjoying the last few days of his holiday with his girlfriend, who lives in Gütersloh, and then he’s going to drive back to Leeds United next week.
