The consequences could be unthinkable if Leeds United fail to achieve promotion back to the Premier League
Leeds United owners 49ers Enterprises have already reached a verdict on the future of manager Daniel Farke amid claims he could face the sack if the Whites’ quest to win promotion back to the Premier League ultimately ends in failure.
After Leeds‘ three-year stay in the English top-flight came to a sorry end last summer – as managers Jesse Marsch, Javi Gracia, and Sam Allardyce all tried and failed to arrest the club’s slide towards the Championship – the Whites were somewhat in disarray.
Former owner Andrea Radrizzani’s sale to the 49ers Enterprises had not gone through yet, the search for a new manager seemed no closer to being resolved, and one by one, players either left on loan – due to clauses inserted into their contracts – or made permanent exits.
Then, the Leeds ship began to steady. Farke became the club’s manager in early July on a four-year deal, the takeover was completed, and while Tyler Adams and Luis Sinisterra forced their way out of the Championship outfit, the German was able to restore order as they sought an immediate return to the top-flight.
The former Norwich City boss, who won the Championship twice with the Canaries, showed his disciplinarian side, too, giving Wilfried Gnonto an ultimatum: Knuckle down for Leeds and all will be forgiven for trying to engineer a summer transfer, but there would be no second chances if he tried to repeat his exit strategy.
Fast forward to the present and Farke has won 30 of his 51 games in charge, has a win percentage of 58.82%, and Leeds currently sit in the second automatic promotion spot in the Championship with one game remaining.
However, third-placed Ipswich are only behind on goal difference and a point against Coventry City on Tuesday night will take them above Farke’s men. Then, they host relegation-threatened Huddersfield Town on the final day of the season, whereas Leeds entertain fourth-placed Southampton at Elland Road.
To get 90 points in a season would normally have secured automatic promotion in years gone by but this time round it may only secure a play-off spot.
However, the fact that Ipswich, who came up from League One last season, have a much smaller wage bill and a vastly inferior budget may put extra pressure on Farke to get his side out of the division.
Moreover, with Leeds winning just one of their last five Championship games, surrendering top spot in the process, that has led to a growing number of fans to question if the 47-year-old is the right man for the Elland Road job.
Daniel Farke sack: 49ers decide on German’s future
Following their 4-0 loss to Queen’s Park Rangers on Friday, Football Insider states even if Farke doesn’t get Leeds promoted, there will be ‘no thoughts’ of sacking the ex-Borussia Monchengladbach manager.
The report adds figureheads at the club have been impressed with Farke’s efforts, particularly when they went on a 15-match unbeaten run at the start of 2024 – where they wiped out a 17-point deficit to table-topping Leicester City in a matter of months.
If Leeds do not get promoted, it could be harder to go up next season as they may have to sell some of their prized assets in order to not fall afoul of profit and sustainability rules. But it seems clear the 49ers see Farke as the ideal candidate to get them up to the top-flight, having done it twice before with Norwich.
After the QPR loss, Farke said on the promotion fight: “One thing is for sure, we will never give up until it’s theoretically done. I spoke before, there are two bullets, first is automatic promotion, the second is the play-offs.
“We have the second bullet, and at the moment it’s perhaps even a bit more realistic to speak about it, okay, but as long as we have a chance I’m far away from giving up on that. We are playing too much of a really good season, 90 points after 45 games, so this is sometimes crazy.
“As long as we have a chance, we try everything in order to try and climb, perhaps even if it’s in the final game, this is what we’re trying to do. If this is not possible, then we go for the second bullet, but for now we’ll concentrate on the first.”
