David Wagner believes the Borussia Dortmund philosophy can fire Huddersfield Town into the top ten.
The German’s long-term aim is to have Town challenging the teams that are currently fighting for the play-off places, but he admits that in football that can’t happen overnight.
Town have taken their first steps under the new boss in terms of style and results - and last weekend’s big victory at Leeds United showed that the two can go hand in hand.
Watch David Wagner on Rajiv van La Parra
That win pulled Town eight points clear of the relegation places, but Wagner is keen to look up, rather than down.
The Town boss told the FL72 Podcast: “Our long-term target is to build up a team able to attack the top 10 of the league, but long-term in is football two or three years, and for this we have done our first steps, but we have to be very patient, and accept sometimes there are ups and downs.
“You sometimes have to go two steps back to go three steps forward. But I feel very protected. The club understand our idea.
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“We arrived to give this club a new idea and identity, to play a different kind of football and I think after the first months we are on our way.
“On the pitch we are in a good way. We don’t have all the points we deserved from our performances, but one of the things the chairman [Dean Hoyle] asked me when we first joined is: ‘Is it possible to bring the Borussia Dortmund way of playing to Huddersfield Town?’ and I said: ‘Yes, of course!’.”
Jurgen Klopp is aiming to do something similar in the Premier League with Liverpool.
The pair remain in close contact, and Wagner is adamant that time and patience are key to making it a success - and the support he enjoys from Town Chairman Hoyle.
“We have exactly the same philosophy, exactly the same ideas and we love the same style of football. We worked together for nearly five years day in, day out,” explained Wagner.
“You can play this style of football everywhere in the world if the club is open-minded and everybody is patient enough.
“[The chairman] said we will be, so we started this new chapter and new project.”
