It will no doubt be a difficult season all round but we’re well prepared with the genius that is Marcelo Bielsa at the helm

The big day has finally arrived. Sixteen years in the wilderness but now we’re back!

We probably have the toughest opening day fixture we could have asked for, and it will no doubt be a difficult season all round, but we’re well prepared with the genius that is Marcelo Bielsa at the helm and the custodians of the club giving him their full support behind the scenes.

The match comes after a week of international games for many of our players. Rodrigo, Robin Koch,Liam Cooper, Gjanni Alioski and Mateusz Klich all represented their countries at a senior level, as did Stuart Dallas, who even swapped shirts with a certain Erling Haaland (that surname rings a bell...).

It was also touching for Marcelo to give Kalvin Phillips one of his own shirts from his playing days at Newell’s Old Boys as a well done present for his England call-up.

Massive congratulations to Kalvin on getting his first cap on Tuesday, for which he promised to give his shirt to Marcelo in return, a sign of the admiration and respect they clearly hold for each other.

This week the Trust announced that we’re joining forces with Leeds-based artists Adam Duffield, Nicolas Dixon and Andy McVeigh, to produce Leeds United themed murals and different pieces of artwork across the city.

The Trust is no stranger to bringing a mural to life, with the tribute to one of our greatest ever midfields on the Lowfields Road underpass still there in all its glory.

The aim is to celebrate the legacy and heritage of the club, as well as moments from our recent promotion success.

You’ll have seen the amazing Bielsa mural in Wortley and the ‘Champions’ one at Elland Road supported by Mateusz Klich.

We felt it would be great to share more of these across the city. The next one in planning is set to be in Pudsey and will be a tribute to the late Jack Charlton, Norman Hunter and Trevor Cherry – designed by Nicolas Dixon.

Adam Duffield is currently working on a design of Pablo Hernandez and one of his epic goal celebrations. 

Andy McVeigh, famed for his colourful communication boxes around the city, will also be supporting the initiative with more themed art.

We’re now looking for various sites and calling on local businesses with gable ends or excess space that’s visible to come forward.

Anyone interested should send a photo and details of the location to [email protected].

Finally, we won’t be able to do this without your support and as a not-for-profit group we can only fund a couple of these pieces of artwork, so we’ve set up a crowdfunding page to help fund the ongoing costs of these great local artists’ time and materials.

The aim is to initially raise £15,000 to kick start the project and bring lots more to life - https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/lustmurals

To join the Trust, simply visit our website at www.leedsunitedtrust.com and become a member for just £10 per year.

Marching on together.