Daniel Farke's £25m reminder, Leeds United 'mission impossible' stance and champions comparison — YEP 28/3/24

Daniel Farke is on a hat-trick – but one that won’t yet be entertained despite the clear chance of “mission impossible” being completed.

By Lee Sobot

Farke arrived at Leeds last summer with two promotions as Championship champions under his belt having gone up in the ultimate style with Norwich City both in 2019 and 2021. Two years later, the prospects of a third Championship title but this time with Leeds hardly looked great amid a spate of exits following United’s relegation from the Premier League and just two points from his new side’s first three games. Nor did Leeds scream title contenders at the turn of the year as leaders Leicester City held a 17-point gap over the fourth-placed Whites following the 1-0 defeat at West Brom.

Yet a staggering run of 37 points from a next possible 39 now has Farke’s Whites top of the pile and ahead of second-placed Leicester with eight games left, albeit with the Foxes having a game in hand. Farke points to that game in hand in declaring why his side cannot be seen as title favourites, even given the double-whammy of United’s almost perfect recent form and his own perfect Championship CV. Two attempts at it with Norwich and two titles.

There are, admits Farke, also similarities between what was achieved with the Canaries and what might now be possible with the Whites. United’s chaotic post-relegation summer was well documented but, says Farke, it was hardly plain sailing at Norwich either, the Whites boss highlighting how his club had to make £25m in one transfer window with an aging squad and some players not even under proper contracts.

Even so, the German manager admits following what he did at Norwich at Leeds really did feel like “mission impossible” last summer. Not anymore, not with Leeds now pushing Leicester for title favouritism, but the clear message from Farke is that his only focus is now on a potentially crucial Easter weekend.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow night’s Good Friday return to action at Watford, Farke was asked about the bid for a third title with Leeds – how the Whites and Canaries compared – and told the YEP: “Each and every season and each and every club is also different and also the group of the players for that.

"Yes, there are some similarities and you can compare it and obviously it was perhaps not realistic in last July or August to speak about being in such a great position and not just the position but also what we have done in terms of performances and also the points tally that we have achieved. This is quite remarkable.

"But this was also one of the reasons why I signed the contract here for Leeds United because I know what the potential of this club is, how big this club, that you can achieve something special and I always love challenges.

"I know it was more or less like a bit like a mission impossible but it was a quite similar situation once I joined Norwich. I found the club somewhere caught in mid table, the lads were great lads and a great group of players but sadly they were already on the way down so the team was a bit too old.

"We had no money, we had unbelievable financial pressure and we needed to earn in the next transfer window at least £25m and this without having proper players on a contract and more or less many, many old players. We had to develop some young players no-one has ever heard of and we needed to rely a bit on our Academy and then we ended up then to be allowed to play in the Premier League and no-one would have predicted this once we joined Norwich.”

Comparing the landscape on arrival at Leeds, Farke admitted: “It felt (at Leeds) obviously a different club and also a different set up to Norwich but also it felt like a bit like a big, big challenge here at Leeds right now. Sadly there is not the guarantee that there will be the same outcome that allowed us to play in the Premier League.

"But at least we have the chance right now and we are on a good path to develop the club and to establish the club rather sooner than later again in the top flight and to play there. But before we are allowed to speak about there is so much work to do and right now I am not tempted to speak about the Premier League or being top of the table or what we can achieve.

"Right now my whole focus is just on finding good, smart solutions for the next five or six days in order to play these two games because they are a priceless six points to play for without more or less training sessions.

"For that, my whole focus is just on this week and Easter weekend to grind out, to dig in and grind out somehow results and then afterwards we can concentrate on proper training sessions and the run in. But right now my focus is just on the next two games."