Leeds United favourite Olivier Dacourt has claimed his former side have more than enough quality to stay in the Premier League this season.
The Whites stretched the gap between themselves and the relegation zone to nine points with the brilliant 3-2 victory at West Ham on Sunday afternoon.
However, prior to that win and the one against Burnley at the turn of the year, there were increasing worries that Marcelo Bielsa's side were in trouble of going down.
The picture at the bottom now looks much better for Leeds but they will still need to put plenty more points on the board to fully secure their Premier League status.
In an interview that took place between the two victories, Dacourt professed that he was not worried at the prospect of his former employers dropping back into the Championship because of the players in the squad.
When asked by 101 Great Goals whether there was enough quality in Bielsa’s side, he said: “Yes absolutely, they have the quality and ability to adapt and survive. Last year, everybody watched them go forwards spending so much energy attacking and they conceded so many goals.
“Now they are actually better, they start to think more. They’ve got the quality, but the Premier League is a very difficult league that becomes harder to compete in every season.
“They’ve got the quality and when their injured players come back, the results will come.”
Those comments will only further endear Leeds supporters to the former France international who played for the Whites on 82 occasions during his three years at the club.
The current situation at the club is vastly different to what it was between 2000 and 2003 but the financial troubles that struck after Dacourt left are not likely to return.
While his relationship with Terry Venables was far from harmonious in the build-up to his departure, his bond with the fans was hardly affected and he continues to speak with great fondness when discussing Leeds.
Of that fondness, Bielsa comes out in a brilliant light as Dacourt has made his admiration for the Whites boss abundantly clear and, unlike many others, he believes the Argentine may end up staying at Elland Road beyond his current deal.
“He’s been in Leeds for three years, he’s never spent so much time at one club, which is a positive sign,” said the 47-year-old.
“Ultimately, you never know what’s going on in someone’s head but I think we’ll know either way after the World Cup.”
Whether or not Bielsa will stay in West Yorkshire beyond the summer remains to be seen but it does look as though he will be able to steer Leeds away from relegation trouble.
Although, the next few matches will be vital in the bid for survival as trips to Aston Villa and Everton are preceded by the huge visit of Newcastle this weekend.
A third consecutive Premier League win on Saturday would provide even more breathing room but guarding against complacency will be top of the agenda at Thorp Arch this week.
