Daniel Farke's first words on Leeds United January transfer window result and Coventry City preview — YEP 4/2/25

By Joe Donnohue

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke hosts his pre-Coventry City press conference this afternoon following the conclusion of the January transfer window on Monday night.

Leeds ended the January window with no additions to Farke’s squad which is seen by some supporters as a risk to the club’s ultimate goal of clinching promotion back to the Premier League this season.

Others have taken the view that Leeds’ existing group, presently top of the Championship table, is strong enough and durable enough to see out the remaining 16 league fixtures without dropping out of the automatic promotion places.

United are two points clear of second-place Sheffield United ahead of their midweek fixture against Frank Lampard’s Coventry, who are the division’s form team over the last five games. Leeds do, though, hold a five-point advantage over third and fourth-placed Burnley and Sunderland.

Farke on Struijk

We will see, it was important for him to have more days in the training pitch and to play those 15 minutes. Four clean sheets in a row right now, there’s no need to rush but in full rhythm, Pascal is a key player for us. It’s about finding the right moment to bring him back into the starting lineup. Won’t speak too much in public about it. There is a moment he will be back. Pretty sure when I do, he will deliver.

Farke on reacting to a 7-0 win

I’ve got a good group. If you have a group that are a bit overconfident, you have to react to be a bit more strict but this group it’s pretty easy to manage. They know days like this don’t come along very often. They know it won’t be a walk in a park next few weeks. Coventry sitting top of form table. They want to win the game again but don’t expect it to be a straightforward game like last time. I’ve managed teams when I got the feeling I have to react a bit more after a really good win but this team are really focused. I didn’t have to do something extraordinary in the last days.

Farke on subs gametime

The decisions we make are in the sense for the team and club. Important to use the whole squad and we’re doing this but there will also be situations where we will have one game per week, we’re not giving gifts away, keeping everyone happy. At the weekend I’ve played Firpo at LB, not like Sam Byram was absolutely happy. He’s pretty much there to get a club record for games unbeaten. But we have great togetherness and team spirit. You don’t do this just with team building activities and being nice and gentle with everyone. They’re professional football players and used to working in a competitive environment. They want a coach who takes a decision that leads to success. Even if on a personal level it’s not that great, everyone wants to be judged in a fair way. If you deliver, you play. If you don’t deliver you don’t play. My decisions can bring them to the door, but to go through the door and deliver performances, this is up to them. If you deliver then you have a great chance to be a bit more involved - this is how professional football works.

Farke on gauging squad mentality during a transfer window

It’s also important in my role not to be too soft at times and always try to be there, emphatic and psychological leader. You have to lead a club, players earn lots of money, agents earn lots of money, then you can also demand a little bit. We invest so much money into them because we expect them to deliver and this is the balance. In my mind, they are not robots, they’re human beings - when you feel trust and backing, you do your best in your job. But we don’t do everything just to make them happy, we have to lead this club to make the club successful. Of course you sense the mood a little bit, playing football like we do, perhaps to promote to the Premier League, everyone wants to be involved and stay on this train. Not one time this window, a player knocks on my door to say he wants or has to leave. Loan players, we had a conversation but apart from this there was nothing - a good sign. I don’t speak with my players about what we want to do in the transfer window. If we want to sign a No. 10 I don’t speak to Brenden Aaronson, he has to deal with it. When the outcome is no new signing, in between the lines, we have delivered well and we’re rewarded with more trust and backing, let’s keep going in the same way. If you are capable to promote to the Premier League, only second team to do this in last 20 years, it would be a great success. We know we can write a little bit of history and determined to do it.

Farke on being promotion favourites

Since the first day here, the expectation is we have to win every game, if it’s a friendly or training game. But it’s also this is what I like, why I signed the contract. I want to go back to the Premier League. I’m totally respectful of how demanding this league is and how difficult it was last two decades. It’s not just because we have the best fans in this country and such a big name, history and tradition, that we’ll have an easy way to promotion. Together with our supporters in the last more than 20 years were not able to celebrate with us, this is my biggest wish and challenge for us, to celebrate promotion with supporters. Sadly not the outcome last season but big chance this season. It won’t happen if we enjoy ourselves too much. We have to make sure we keep going in the way [we have] two-thirds of this season. If we’re labelled as favourite, it doesn’t change the way I approach it.

Farke on No. 10 position and fatigue

Fatigue not because Brenden can play every day. Sometimes he’s around like a bee, full of energy. Have to make sure the energy doesn’t come out of his ears, make him relax a bit more. Sometimes it’s to channel his energy. What you can’t predict is the possibility of a booking, yellow-red cards, not so much a topic with Brenden, but possibility of an injury but this is also why I spoke so open about ‘if we think there’s a player to give us another specialist’, it turned out not all the boxes were ticked. It’s important he stays fit. We have players who can perhaps shine in this role, adapt a bit the way we play. My big wish is Brenden stays full on in a good shape and without injuries.

Farke on Mateo Joseph

Overall I’d always back my players that they have one target: be successful as a team. Normally the players like when we have competition because we just know we can be successful as a team, especially such a busy schedule in the Ch’ship. I think you can sense this in the celebrations in last game. Willy Gnonto scores and the whole team are celebrating with him. Even the players in competition with him, they’re celebrating, great team spirit. In the back of the mind, I was a striker, when you have to fight to get enough minutes and the club brings another striker in, sometimes it feels like a few doubts, it can also be a little bit too much. Players who are not playing every game, to bring another player can make them lose their focus. How individual players feel, we shouldn’t let rule [what’s beneficial for the group]. I think we have to take the decisions in the best interest to be successful as possible for Leeds United. In the back of the mind to give the message we totally trust you, I think this will give them a lift in confidence and make them perhaps a bit more to be determined to be successful.

Farke on Coventry

Think Mark Robins did a fantastic job laying foundations for success. Club made a change, Frank is doing also an outstanding job. Last five games they are position one in the form table. We know they’re in a really good shape, good attacking options, flexible in their style, a brave side and fully aware of their strengths but we’re also in quite good shape. Whether it’s a home or away game, we have a chance to win the points. Respectful of what they’ve done, all the chances to finish top six but we keep going in this difficult away game. Busy schedule at the moment, quick turnaround but I’d rather have a game right now straight now. Patrick is injured but all the others are available. You never know the scenario in 4-5 weeks. I think it’s much better to have it quick as possible out of the way, then in the run in you can focus on each and every game instead of a game in hand. It’s good to have this game this quickly. Makes a busy schedule so have to keep in mind team selection.

Farke on injuries

Patrick is the only one [missing vs Coventry].

Farke on squad size

We have a striker who was outstanding in last four years at this level, always scored double figures. For us last season double figures, what is he now 12 goals 5 assists, never had a proper injury, touch wood, but pretty happy with Joel. We have Mateo and let’s assume the rumours are right, there were offers of double figures for him from a really good side. I hope [Bamford] will be back with us pretty soon. There are a few injuries in his CV and such a great player in his rhythm. Gut feeling is we were unlucky to miss him during final stages last season. We have three really proper strikers we trust. We have players who could fulfil a job in this role if necessary. Willy Gnonto or Largie Ramazani have played, maybe not natural, there before. If there are many injuries or problems in terms of availability, sometimes it makes sense to have four, five, six strikers but it can also create an issue with togetherness. We were staying awake in terms of there is something Patrick’s rehab or whatever, but the headline of this window is I trust my group to finish where we want to finish.

Farke on transfers

I don’t see why we should be scared for the run-in, the final third. We are convinced. We have the chances to finish in the top position. Need luck like no new major injuries, but this is always the case. You can’t guarantee success and need a little bit of luck. This is hopefully the last time we have to speak about new signings until the summer. Wanted to give a detailed answer.

Farke on transfers

It’s always difficult to improve and strengthen if you’re top of the table. If you’re in such a position, you do many things right. You don’t have a problem if there’s a big injury. And who should then strengthen your team. In January especially, the options are limited. The second is: sometimes a loan player is available. Which loan players strengthens a team top of the table, so you have to go for a loan player from a higher level. Not many leagues higher than Championship. If a player is available on loan, there is a reason. It means he doesn’t belong to the core group of the 17-18 players for this Premier League side, for example, and hasn’t played in recent weeks. It’s definitely a fact you can just loan out a player who is not in his full rhythm and confidence and not a key player for a side on Premier League level. If we’re really honest, does a player who doesn’t make it into the top 17-18 players in a bottom half PL squad, does he really improve Leeds United? Difficult I would say. Must be a big coincidence to find a player on loan who strengthens you. Perhaps a player from the top half of the Premier League, maybe. Then it’s about like, definitely just ones you can guarantee gametime. And how in our position can we guarantee gametime? I don’t drop Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu or Pascal Struijk in the centre-back position [for a loanee]. I don’t drop Brenden Aaronson who is working miracles for us this season. In our position we can’t do this. You can do this when you have an injury or are sitting in position nine, but not if the team is doing that well like we did in recent months. To find a loan option who is really improving your squad but willing to come, three months around and lots of competition, is very difficult. Other option is go for permanent transfer, we have also explored this, but the options in January are a bit overpriced and this makes the market so difficult, especially in a situation like we are - we don’t have a big problem. In the end not all the boxes were ticked. I don’t think you should just do business because everyone is sitting in front of the TV, everyone else is or is panicking. I’m happy I work for a club who’s doing business in a smart and sustainable way, not like we have to pretend we’re ambitious and waste some money. We want to build and develop success. This is why the outcome is like this. I would have never ruled out a lucky coincidence that we find a perfect specialist but it didn’t turn out to be because not all the boxes were ticked. We didn’t find the right player or the player was too expensive. We go with what we’ve got and draw a line under it. This group was good enough to be best in the league so far.

Farke on the window

Overall predicted a quiet window, in the end it turned out a very quiet window. We can now move on and talk about football. If there are any questions, I will answer this, not a problem at all. In general, the main headline about our window is I trust my group. This means we are sitting after two-thirds of the Championship, top position in the table. We are there with 63 points after 30 games. This group has managed to be in this position. I don’t see one reason this group can’t finish in a top position. It’s a bit special when you have to do business in January. I know this world is crazy about deadline day. If you want suspense 20 years ago, you are sat in front of a James Bond movie. Now there is rumours, breaking news, reporter at training ground here and there, it’s not my way to do business. It feels like if you’re on the stock exchange, you wait til the last second to buy or sell. I don’t think business at a healthy club should be done like this. Sometimes you can’t help it, like a big injury or big trouble after relegation, we had to do it in the last hours before the window [closed]. For that I don’t like to do late business. On this last day there’s lots of madness and craziness going around. Players are offered by agents to 20 different clubs across Europe. Player’s first comment is a childhood dream to play for this club, I don’t believe in this. You don’t overpay prices. If you analyse all the top leagues, Liverpool top of the table in the Premier League. No business in the last days of the window. Busy transfer window for Liverpool? Not at all. Bayern Munich? Nothing. Late outgoing, able to earn some money with a player not much gametime. LaLiga Spain Real Madrid, no incomings. It’s a sign if you don’t have to use the January window, you’re in a healthy position. It’s not a guarantee you’ll be successful. It’s football you need a bit of luck in terms of injuries but overall but if you don’t have to do much winter business after 30 games are already played, it’s normally a good sign - and for that I’m quite delighted, I have to say. Once you’re top position in the league, I was lucky a few times in January already in a similar position. Transfer window has two effects. Your players attract other clubs, and the second is it’s difficult to improve and strengthen your own squad. The same during my whole coaching career. When you’re in the spotlight, you attract interest from other clubs. This is one thing for me important to block the interest, we didn’t sell any of our players. There were a few approaches for our players but we block this because we want to keep the core group.