Marcelo Bielsa has another chance to deliver Premier League football to the success-starved fans of Leeds United after falling agonisingly short last season, as the Championship starts this weekend. The charismatic 64-year-old Argentine, idolised by Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino, gave the three-time English champions a boost by agreeing to stay on for a second campaign.
Leeds start their latest bid to escape the second tier on Sunday against Bristol City after the bitter disappointment of letting slip a 2-0 aggregate lead against Derby in the play-off semi-finals in May. Derby should once again be strong after replacing replaced Frank Lampard, who left to manage Chelsea, with former Dutch star Phillip Cocu.
The relegated Premier League trio of Cardiff, Fulham and Huddersfield, will be buoyed by parachute payments, but the last side to go straight back were Newcastle, after they slipped out of the top flight in 2016.
West Brom, who reached the play-offs in May are positioned to make a strong push under former West Ham and Croatia manager Slaven Bilic.
