Bournemouth v Leeds United: When Daniel Farke says 'we've arrived at Premier League level' he is talking about more than results — Yorkshire Post 22/4/26

By Stuart Rayner

"United are back" has been the soundtrack to Leeds United's last two wins. From fairly early on in this campaign, manager Daniel Farke has been stressing how his players have proven they belong at Premier League level.

But establishing yourself in England's top-flight is about more than just results. Teams like Wednesday's hosts Bournemouth have cemented themselves by building a club, not just a group of players.

Off the field, Farke says he inherited a "League One standard" training ground but now, in that respect too, United truly are back. Even the ageing Elland Road is getting an overdue facelift.

When Leeds were a force in European football at the turn of the millennium, their Thorp Arch training ground was high-spec, but depressing though it is for those who lived through those times to think about, that was a quarter of a century ago.

Now clubs like Bournemouth are high-end, wanting three points on Wednesday to push for European qualification, opening a £32m state-of-the-art training facility last year, looking to expand their admittedly tiny stadium and able to replace one of the most sought-after coaches in Europe, Andoni Iraloa, with another – Marco Rose. It is incredible to think their stint in the Premier League is only four years old.

That is the sort of step-by-step process Farke has in mind for Leeds, who have finally broken ground on the stadium expansion that has been all talk, little or no action for years.

"Quality is not defined just by one good season or one good week or one good game," argues Farke. "It's always by performing over a long-term period. This is what you want to do as a club.

"We are happy to make big steps, don't get me wrong, but it's important that you always develop as a group and as a club.

"This is credit to Bournemouth and what they have done – then you can call yourself a really established club at this level. It always depends on the performances, the points, but also the way you handle things. Not just, 'I need to win next week'.

"It's also as a club to think about how do we handle things, how can we invest?"

That has been one of Farke's big strengths as manager.

You do not have to look too far down the M1 for an example of a famous old club paying the price of over-reaching, and Sheffield Wednesday are only the most dramatic example.

Leeds, by contrast, have frustrated supporters with their failure to sign more and better full-backs in the Championship years, or forwards once back in the Premier League. Farke has always made his case, but resisted the urge to kick up a fuss when he did not get them.

"I was always a big believer not just to spend every cent that is available into salaries of the players," he says. "I was also greedy to develop the club so that we have something with sustainability.

"Once I signed here I was shocked because I knew that there had been a few years at Premier League level (three) and we have great surroundings at Thorp Arch but the level of the training ground, with all respect, was more or less League One level.

"The staff was brilliant, I also like our youth players. We developed young players like Archie (Gray), for example, and sold him.

"We had lots of talent and really good coaches and really good staff members. But the facilities, if I'm honest, you could feel what has happened the last decade more or less.

"As a manager you can just think of the short-term – I want to buy this player, I want to buy this player. For me it was important from the first day, let's improve our training ground because this is what brings us sustainability.

"If you have a look at the facilities you can say we've arrived at Premier League level.

"This is important, not just to grow with results but also to grow how you handle things, how you do things, how you improve the structure, how you improve the facilities, the training ground, the way you can travel or whatever.

"This is quite crucial and important. There I always push that we develop on the top level and it never stops.

"We always want to get better and better."

All that said, results are doing their bit. Leeds travel to Dean Court eight points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, who have invested heavily in their stadium, training ground and squad; six ahead of West Ham United, virtually gifted a brand new stadium, and three above Nottingham Forest, docked points two years ago for over-spending on their squad. Victory on Wednesday would draw them level with Newcastle United and their gazillionaire owners.

It only takes a bad window, a bad appointment or two to become the next Southampton or worse still, Leicester City. But if Farke has anything to do with it, it will not be a case of enjoying the good times while they last but optimistic they will.