‘Best academy in Europe, competing for titles’ - Leeds boss Marsch outlines ambitious vision for Elland Road future

Jesse Marsch has been outlining his ambitious vision for Leeds United, with the American tactician eager to see the Whites boast the best academy system in Europe while competing for major titles on a senior stage.

Premier League survival remains the top priority at Elland Road in the present, with just two points separating them from a top-flight trapdoor with four games left to take in this season.

If safety can be secured, then Marsch – who signed a contract through to 2025 when agreeing to succeed Marcelo Bielsa in West Yorkshire – intends to start building the foundations on which future success can be built.

The former New York Red Bulls, Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig boss has told Sky Sports of his immediate plans: “Right now, my focus is singularly on doing what we can to make sure that we stay in the Premier League.

“I haven’t allowed myself to even open the door about what if it doesn’t go well, because that doesn’t help, right?”

When throwing things forward and quizzed on what the club could look like in three years’ time, Marsch added: “It looks like the best academy in Europe, with young players that are playing in the first-team consistently, where we’re competing for Europe consistently, with our process of developing players from the academy into the first-team.

“In the process, we’re also creating world-class players who can perform here, but also can help us financially by selling them to the most massive clubs for massive amounts of money, and then reinvesting that into the infrastructure of the club until we get to the point five or 10 years from now when we can really talk about competing for titles and being one of the best teams in Europe. That’s the goal.”

Jesse Marsch had an out-of-body