'I can bring Leeds United to where they belong': New boss Thomas Christiansen bullish over promotion

Newly-appointed Leeds United boss Thomas Christiansen is confident of securing promotion to the Premier League at Elland Road and believes his flexibility and capacity to squeeze every last drop out of his players will stand the fallen giant in good stead ahead of next season.

But he may be forced to seek success without star forward Chris Wood after director of football Victor Orta failed to give a clear answer on the subject of the West Ham United and Stoke City target's future.

Christiansen was seen as a rather left-field appointment when Leeds named him as their new head coach last week. The former Barcelona B starlet admitted he was not a household name but adopted a bullish attitude when discussing his ambitions for the season ahead.

The much-travelled Dane, whose only other managerial roles were both in Cyprus with AEK Larnaca and APOEL Nicosia, also provided some insight into his footballing philosophy and expressed his desire to 'dominate' matches in the second tier of English football.

"I don't have the same name as Ranieri etc. but I really want to be here and believe I can bring Leeds to where they belong and bring my message to the players," Christiansen said in his first press conference as Leeds boss. "I got everything out of my players in my previous teams, that was why I made history with both sides.

"I have to be flexible, in previous teams I played 4-3-3 but when I went to Apoel and wanted to play the same I couldn't because I did not have the specific players, so I changed to 4-2-3-1-. (The) Championship is a different competition with more direct styles and players, but I want to control games and build from the back.

"I'm in a big club with ambition, one of the things that inspired me to come here was talking to Victor [Orta] and Ivan [Bravo], Leeds deserve and have to be in the Premier League. With good work we can achieve that. I've followed English football since I was a boy, I will put my ideas onto the pitch, dominate the games and have control. This is a progress I have to go through with the players.

"I believe in my possibilities, this is why I'm here and why Leeds believe in me. We all want the same. I think last year Leeds finished seventh, promotion should be the target."

Christiansen may be targeting promotion in his first season in England, something rarely achieved by foreign managers during their debut campaign in England's second tier and he will have real battle for Championship promotion slot without New Zealand international Wood.

The former Leicester City forward scored 27 league goals as Leeds just missed out on promotion last season. The Mirror claim that both West Ham and Stoke are interested in signing the £15m-rated forward, and Leeds director of football Orta did not send an overly positive message regarding his prized asset's future.

"I hope [Wood remains a Leeds player] but football nobody can say," Orta said. "When [Cristiano] Ronaldo lifted the Champions League a couple of weeks ago, no one had any doubts about his future. No one can say the player will 100% stay. I'm happy with Woods' recent words about being happy at the club, I hope he stays.

Transfer activity is of huge importance to fans of all clubs, and Leeds supporters are no different. The recent change in ownership has heightened fans' curiosity over the Peacocks' transfer budget, but Orta is not interested in throwing money around and insists he will only recruit players who want to play for Leeds for footballing and not financial reasons.

"I prefer the man rather than the name," Orta added. "A player who want to play in Leeds, not just for money, not just to play in England. If they choose you for money, it finishes badly. I need to understand who wants to play for Leeds and not the money.

"It's stupid to bring a player that the head coach doesn't want, the head coach will always have the last word. If we are to go down the road of success we need and synergy and trust. We want the same thing, promotion."