New Leeds United chief makes Daniel Farke transfer pledge to 'rectify' an unfair experience - YEP 18/7/23

Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe has pledged to back Daniel Farke in the way Norwich City did not and sees him as a long-term appointment.

By Graham Smyth

Marathe and 49ers Enterprises finally got their hands on the keys to Elland Road in every sense late on Monday night when their takeover was ratified by the EFL. A price had been agreed with Andrea Radrizzani for his 56 per cent shareholding on June 9 but it took five weeks to obtain approval from the league and conclude the £170m deal.

Farke, meanwhile, is two weeks into his managerial reign having been brought in by Marathe, with Radrizzani's approval, prior to the transition of control.

When he was unveiled to the local media Farke made no secret that it was down to club chiefs to convince him to take the job and not simply incumbent on him to advertise his managerial prowess.

Marathe takes no issue with the German's version of events.

"I think Daniel mentioned it a little bit in his media comments the other day that it was kind of a two way-interview," the chairman told Leeds United's official podcast.

"And that's a really fair assessment because it wasn't just okay, here's a club with great history, no doubt, here's a club that was in the Premier League for three years and just got relegated, here's a club that we're not exactly sure which players are staying in which players are going and oh, by the way, here's a club that we're not exactly done yet with who the owner and chairman is going to be. So there's a lot of questions that candidates needed answering and some of it is still fluid. And so it was very much us talking about our vision, and me talking about my vision and where we are today but where I think we're going and what steps we are going to invest and take to be able to get there."

Marathe says he leaned on his experience of hiring coaches and general managers for San Francisco 49ers in the NFL and though others were more 'attuned' to Farke's tactical acumen, he was looking for key leadership skills and personality traits.

"You know, he's got a quiet confidence about him that is infectious, magnetic," said Marathe.

"You just spend enough time with him around the room, you believe whatever he believes, just because of the confidence by which he carries himself. That's the qualitative thing. The quantitative thing is he's been damn successful. He didn't just win the Championship twice, he dominated the Championship twice. He knows what it takes. He knows the grit. He knows the fight. He knows the blood, sweat and tears it's going to take, to get through the Championship."

Marathe insists that while Farke's promotion credentials marked him out as the man Leeds will entrust to return them to the top flight, the decision to appoint him was not blinkered by the club's immediate goal.

Farke lost his job at Norwich City after a difficult start to the season after his second Canaries Championship title and has expressed his belief that the squad he had to work with was not a Premier League squad.

Marathe, who says Leeds are trying their best to keep star players this summer and will try to put together a ‘very high quality’ squad, has vowed not to leave Farke wanting if and when he leads the club back to the elite level.

"Let me be clear, this isn't a short term thing either," said Marathe.

"I don't think he had a fair deck of cards when he got back up to the Premier League and had two shots at it. And so that's one thing that we're going to rectify and give him the deck of cards that he needs to be successful once we get back up, because I think he can be a very, very successful coach across Europe. This isn't just hey, get us through the Championship."

The chairman also highlighted Farke's ability to work with young players, something Leeds United's most revered coaches have all been known for. Don Revie, Howard Wilkinson and Marcelo Bielsa all placed huge emphasis on the importance of bringing young talent through the ranks.

"He's got a style of play that I think resonates with our supporters and a style of play that I think fits the players that we have," said Marathe.

"You know, he's been known to develop youngsters and you know, as you know, we've got a great crop of youngsters at the club through the academy as well. He's got a great empathy, which I appreciate, he's got a great understanding for the feelings of people on how the feelings of people, not just players, but coaches and staff and ownership, all interact to form a good chemistry of a team. And that's one thing that I found really important in American football, in a head coach was having that deep empathy and understanding and I think he's really got that too."