'They’ll only get stronger in the Premier League' - Leeds United greats and fan favourites celebrate promotion

The Whites secured a return to the top flight for the first time in 16 years thanks to last Thursday's win over Barnsley and the failure of both West Brom and Brentford to win at the weekend.

A quartet of fan favourites were delighted to see their old club get the reward their play under Marcelo Bielsa has deserved.

Brian Deane

"I think they’ve been the best team in the league by far this season.

They play in a way that the fans want them to play, it’s exciting.

They’ve done everything on the front foot and with integrity.

They’re undisputed in terms of being the best team as far as I’m concerned, as far as most people are concerned.

Even if there are people out there who say they don’t like Leeds, they have got to respect what they’ve done this year and the way they’ve gone about it. Happy days. It’s been a long wait.

A city like Leeds needs a team doing very well, that reflects the importance of the city in the country.

This is a way of the fans being able to appreciate where they are, who they are and the achievement the team have accomplished.

Again, it’s a long time for a club like Leeds to be out of the top flight, especially with the history and tradition.

I think it’ll be a welcome addition to the Premier League.

It’s fantastic.

It’s great for me, I’m a Leeds boy, lived here, always come back to Leeds.

Just to see how everything’s developed, it’s amazing."

John Sheridan

"They’re a very good team on the eye to watch, even people who don’t particularly follow Leeds will say that as well – I think they’re brilliant to watch.

I think the biggest bonus is the manager, obviously he’s a world class manager and for him to go to Leeds United while they’re in the Championship is massive.

I think it’s well deserved, they’re the best team in the league and the best team to watch.

They’ll only get stronger in the Premier League.

It’s all positives in my eyes, especially the manager they had.

Leeds United are a massive club, they have great supporters, they always stick with the team through thick and thin so it’s just reward for their support, for them to get promoted back to the Premier League.

It’s just a shame the supporters aren’t alllowed in the ground to watch because I know they’re fanatical and would really celebrate when they got promoted.

It’s well deserved for the supporters and the team as well."

Jon Newsome

"Undoubtedly it’s deserved – I actually thought they deserved to go up last year but football doesn’t always give you what you deserve, does it?

What happened last year would have hurt the players and would probably still hurt them.

You carry that with you and learn from it, they have learned from it and they’re a better team and a better squad than the one that was there last year.

Undoubtedly I do believe they deserve to go up.

I’m delighted for them.

I’m a Sheffield lad, a Wednesday fan as a kid and now but I have a really big soft spot for Leeds and the city.

I lived there and experienced it, my son went to Uni there, I work at Elland Road on matchdays and have done for the past 18 months, so I’m absolutely delighted.

It’s nothing short of what they deserve.

They’re back in the Premier League where they should be, a club of that stature and size and a fanbase as big as what they’ve got.

It’s sacrilege that they’ve been 16 years outside of it."

David Healy

"I thought they were the best team in the Championship last season and didn’t go up, they didn’t get the results in the final quarter or so, to give themselves the opportunity.

The pleasing thing for anyone with any affiliation to Leeds United was that Bielsa stayed, they built on what they achieved or didn’t achieve last season and made improvements.

For anyone who enjoys watching free flowing attacking football, even if they don’t have an affiliation to them, Leeds are a joy to watch at times. They’ve been by far and away the best team in the league.

Brentford are in terrific form, West Brom have always been in and around the top two but man for man, player for player throughout the season Leeds have more than deserved it.

They’ve got the fanbase, the support network, an incredible manager, young, fit, hungry players and they’ll embrace the Premier League, which will be all the better for having Leeds in it.

When I went into the club the remit was to get them back to where everyone knows they should be.

In football no-one can demand the right to be in any league or position, you have to make sure things are run properly from top to bottom.

It’s taken longer than Leeds fans would have hoped, it’s taken another relegation and everyone outside the club wondering what on earth was going on but now’s the time.

Through thick and thin the supporters have been there. They’re understanding and loyal.

They’ll be wishing they could be there to see the games and it’ll have been hard for them not to be at the ground, but there’ll be great relief, satisfaction and joy.

Losing so many legends in Jack Charlton, Norman, Trevor Cherry, this has been a tough number of months for everybody and this gives a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel, their club being back in the big time, where they belong."