Leeds United Appoint Daniel Farke as Manager on Four-Year Deal
Leeds United have appointed former Norwich City boss Daniel Farke as their manager on a four-year deal. The 46-year-old German spent four years with the Canaries and twice led them to promotion to the Premier League. Farke spent last season with Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach but was sacked after they finished 10th. Leeds were relegated from the Premier League in 2022-23 after a campaign that saw them sack two managers, with Sam Allardyce then unable to keep them up.
“I feel humble at this time, I know the responsibility to fulfil all the expectations and I want to repay the trust shown,” Farke told the club website. “The most important thing is to create a togetherness and unity within this club again and, from today onwards, I will work on it with my staff and players, and I trust our supporters will be there when we need them. I can’t wait for the first game of the season.”
Farke’s Track Record of Success
Farke was appointed manager at Carrow Road in June 2017 after a spell as head coach of Borussia Dortmund reserves, and guided the Canaries to the second-tier title in his second full season in charge. They finished bottom of the Premier League the following campaign but Farke led them straight back up, once again as champions. After a poor start to the 2021-22 campaign he was sacked in November – hours after their first win of the top-flight season, at Brentford. Farke subsequently had a brief spell in charge of Russian side Krasnodar, but left without managing a game because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and then took over at Monchengladbach on a three-year deal last summer.
The Job at Hand as Leeds Look to Bounce Back
Leeds have turned to a man who has won promotion in two of his three seasons managing in English football’s second tier as they look to avoid another lengthy spell outside the top flight. Marcelo Bielsa ended their 16-year exile from the Premier League in 2020 as champions, and the legendary Argentine then led them to a ninth-placed finish in 2020-21. However, they struggled the following season and Bielsa was replaced by Jesse Marsch in February, and Leeds survived relegation thanks to a final-day win at Brentford.
After a summer which saw influential players Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips depart for Barcelona and Manchester City respectively, they made an encouraging start last season with seven points from their first three league games. They were unable to keep this going and Marsch was sacked on 5 February and eventually replaced by former Watford boss Javi Gracia on a deal until the end of the season. The Spaniard won three of his first six league matches but after a run of four defeats in five he was sacked with four games remaining, as the board gambled on veteran Allardyce to try to help them away from danger. It was not to be, though, as Leeds won just one point from those four matches and were relegated on the last day after a dismal 4-1 home defeat by Tottenham.
Analysis
Adam Pope, BBC Radio Leeds: Daniel Farke cuts a genial figure when close up sitting around a table interviewing him as the new Leeds United manager for the first time. He has a humility infused with a deep confidence and candid realism. He knows what it takes to ensure promotion from the Championship – the toughest of all leagues he says – but you soon realise that having done that twice with Norwich City, the challenge Farke has set himself and the club is to become established in the Premier League.
Over the course of the four-year deal he has signed at Elland Road, the 46-year-old must feel he will have tools – which he admits were missing at Carrow Road – to go up and stay up in the top flight. The club did not need selling to the German, who revealed the only convincing he required was that “all of the key people were on the same page – the owners, the board and all the people in the sporting department”. The San Francisco 49ers Enterprises takeover is not yet ratified by the English Football League, but Farke can see enough of the picture to take on the role regardless.
With enough trust established in those above him, Farke is eager to do the same with his charges – starting with appealing to their “heads and hearts” to recreate a winning mentality. Leeds start the Championship season at home to Cardiff on Sunday, 6 August.
Conclusion
Daniel Farke has been handed a four-year deal by Leeds United as they look to bounce back from relegation from the Premier League. The 46-year-old German has twice won promotion from England’s second tier during his time at Norwich City and will be hoping to replicate that success at Elland Road. With enough trust established between Farke and those above him, he is now looking to do the same with his players – appealing to their “heads and hearts” to recreate a winning mentality. Leeds start their Championship campaign at home to Cardiff on Sunday 6 August.