Ilia Gruev arrived at Leeds United from Werder Bremen in the summer of 2023 and had to wait until January 2024 to cement his place at Elland Road. Since then, he’s featured regularly for the Whites when available for selection.
Last season, the defensive midfielder played 25 games for Leeds as a knee injury forced him to spend over 100 days on the sidelines. He was part of their squad that secured a promotion to the top flight.
[Bild](https://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/werder-bremen-aus-1122-km-entfernung-hilft-gruev-schmidt-beim-start-68bd851cfe1aa94fb1b01edf) interviewed the Leed player to discuss several topics, including his move from Werder Bremen to the English club and their return to the Premier League.
The Bulgaria international is a product of the Bundesliga club’s academy and spent two years with their senior team before moving to Leeds. He explains Daniel Farke was able to convince him to join Leeds with the project at Elland Road.
_“I was at Werder Bremen for eight years and thought it was time for something new. Then coach Daniel Farke called, told me about the project, and he simply won me over. The goal was the Premier League. We achieved that in our second year,”_ he said.
The Whites achieved promotion by winning the Championship last season and the success was celebrated across the city. The 25-year-old was blow away with number of Leeds fans that turned up for the victory parade.
_“It was insane. The way the city supports the club is extraordinary and almost impossible to grasp,”_ Gruev explained.
_“Between 200,000 and 400,000 people came to the parade on Monday afternoon in 17-degree weather and clouds. We drove through the city for two or three hours by bus, and the crowds just kept coming. It was a fantastic experience. You could feel what the club means to so many people. The fans are incredibly excited for our games. It’s always sold out, the atmosphere is fantastic.”_
Gruev has played in all four games for Daniel Farke’s side this season.