Christiansen believes Leeds ‘deserve’ Premier League spot

(Picture: Action Images via Reuters)

Leeds United head coach Thomas Christiansen believes the club “deserve” to be in the Premier League.

The former APOEL Nicosia boss, 44, was unveiled to the press today after being appointed at Elland Road on Friday, having impressed club officials with a presentation laying out his plans for the team.

Christiansen succeeds Garry Monk, who resigned in May after leading the Whites to seventh in the Championship, and cannot wait to get started at a club he thinks deserve a place in the top-flight.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, he said: “It looks like they liked the presentation. Leeds is a big club with ambition. A big club who deserve to be in the Premier League.

“I am delighted and believe I can do good things here. I will try and put my ideas onto the pitch and for us to dominate games and have control.

“I’m very flexible, I have my ideas of how I want to play, but I can be adaptable depending on players and the league.”

Monk’s departure came as a disappointment for many Leeds fans, and they were equally disappointed with the length of time it took to appoint a new boss.

However, the club were determined to choose the right man to continue the success on the pitch, with the club’s director of football Victor Orta saying: “We decided to take our time to choose a candidate.

“We had a list of what we wanted from a head coach; style, hard-working, modern.

“They also needed to understand Leeds was an opportunity – and this is what we felt when we interviewed Thomas.”

Meanwhile, Leeds have released Monk’s backroom staff, including the popular Pep Clotet, and Christiansen is now looking to assemble his own team of assistants.