Pontus Jansson was sold by Leeds United to Championship rivals Brentford for £5m but he is loving life under Thomas Frank at Griffin Park.
Pontus Jansson has admitted that prefers to work under Thomas Frank at Brentford rather than the ‘mental’ Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United, in quotes reported by the Sun.
During the summer transfer window, the Elland Road faithful saw their support of a legendary Argentinian manager tested to it’s limits.
Bielsa was rumoured to have fallen out with cult hero Jansson, leading to his shock £5.5 million move to Championship rivals Brentford (Mail).
But rather than stand up for the Swedish centre-back, Leeds supporters instead threw their support behind a man who, almost in the blink of an eye, has transformed the Whites into bona fide promotion favourites.
Jansson, meanwhile, is eight places and 16 points further back with Brentford.
Yet the former Torino and Malmo stopper is enjoying a fresh start at Griffin Park and a strong relationship with a coach far more outgoing and personable than the bucket-perching enigma that is Bielsa.
“Marcelo is mental in everything that he sees about football. As people they are different because Marcelo does not want to have that close relationship with his players,” Jansson explains.
“One reason is the language barrier because he doesn’t speak English very well. You just have to accept it and do everything he says. You can’t go against him.
“But with me and Thomas we speak so much about football and I like that. With Thomas, I’m captain so our relationship is even closer than the other players have with him.”
Jansson, unlike the former Argentine and Chile coach Bielsa, is a famously outspoken character who is never afraid to voice controversial opinions. It is no real surprise, then, that he and ‘El Loco’ eventually come to blows.
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