Leeds United are expected to unveil Daniel Farke as their new manager “in the next 24 hours”, according to reliable journalist Phil Hay.
Where is Daniel Farke now?
The German’s first role in the dugout was at SV Lippstadt back in 2009 and since then, he’s gone on to take charge of Borussia Dortmund’s B side, Norwich City, Krasnodar and most recently Borussia Monchengladbach. He left the Bundesliga club last month though, meaning that he’s now a free agent, as per Transfermarkt.
Following Sam Allardyce’s sacking, Sky Sports reported that the 46-year-old was one of the candidates being interviewed for the vacancy at Elland Road alongside Patrick Vieira, but the Frenchman has since been announced as the new boss of Strasbourg in Ligue 1.
The Daily Mail soon after claimed that the Canaries’ former coach had emerged as the leading contender and was viewed as the favourite among the hierarchy after impressing during his face-to-face meeting, and it wasn’t long before negotiations got underway.
Football Insider stated that the Whites had entered advanced talks to recruit the experienced figure but were waiting for the 49ers Enterprises takeover to be completed before announcing his appointment, though if the following update is to be believed, it sounds like they don’t want to hang about any longer than is deemed necessary.
Are Leeds appointing Farke?
Taking to Twitter on Monday evening, Hay revealed that Leeds are likely to announce Farke’s arrival imminently with him having already made the journey to LS11. He wrote:
“Leeds United set to confirm appointment of Daniel Farke as head coach in the next 24 hours. Terms agreed, allowing him to fly in this evening. Due to be finalised even if takeover isn’t sealed first, with training set to start Wednesday.”
Leeds have faced Farke as an opposition manager on several occasions previously and will know full well what he is capable of consisdering he has won twice with his visiting team, and looking at his track record, he’s got everything that is required of a manager to succeed in the Championship.
The Steinhausen native, whose preferred formation is a 4-2-3-1, has taken charge of 138 games in the second tier, out of which he’s won 71, drawn 38 and lost just 29, averaging 1.82 points per match and taking 251 from a possible 414, via Transfermarkt.
During his time at Norwich, this excellent and more importantly consistent form saw the incoming boss rewarded for his efforts having twice guided them to promotion to the Premier League, so he knows exactly what it takes to compete and achieve at the highest level.
Finally, Farke being a free agent and without a club means that the board won’t have to pay any compensation to acquire his services which is an additional bonus given his calibre, not to mention that West Bromwich Albion’s Carlos Corberan’s £2m release clause is what put them off making a swoop for him, so all in all, this really does seem like a match made in heaven.