Credit: Imago

Harri Burton

Wed 9 April 2025 18:00, UK

Daniel Farke could soon be a hugely unpopular figure amongst Leeds United and Rangers supporters when the current campaign comes to a close.

With the Whites slipping below Burnley and Sheffield United to third in the Championship table prior to the controversy-filled 1-0 win at Middlesbrough on 8 April, Farke is under immense pressure to get Leeds out of the division and up to the Premier League.

The German had a brilliant opportunity to do exactly that at the first time of asking a year ago, but lost out to Leicester City and Ipswich Town before falling to defeat against Southampton in the play-off final.

An identical situation could be occurring this season, with Leeds sinking down to the play-off spots through March and April before taking advantage of slip-ups from Burnley and Sheffield United on Tuesday, but ceding the previous advantage could yet have serious implications for the 49ers Enterprises.

Daniel Farke’s failings to cause a catastrophic domino effect

While 49ers Enterprises are happy at Elland Road, the American owners are ready to expand their empire North of the border, attempting to sign on the dotted line at Scottish Premiership side Rangers.

However, the proposed takeover has been plunged into uncertainty following Leeds’ recent dip in form, with EFL restrictions meaning a deal would be prevented should the Whites remain in the Championship, as things stand.

This has represented the 49ers with a major headache ahead of the summer, and with Rangers’ directors already frustrated by the timeframe on the Ibrox takeover, some heads might start turning away from the proposed deal.

While EFL club bosses can vote in favour of relaxing these multiple ownership laws, ones which do not exist in the Premier League and so would be no concern if Leeds go up as planned, that meeting cannot take place until an AGM on 18 June, by which time many involved in selling their shares at Ibrox might have changed their minds.

49ers ready to part ways with Daniel Farke at Elland Road

Paraag Marathe, Leeds’ chairman, is helping to spearhead the 49ers’ bold takeover at Ibrox, alongside healthcare mogul Andrew Cavenagh, but all of that could be stopped dead in its tracks if Farke’s promotion push fails once more.

The 49ers will be left with no other choice but to pull the rug from underneath Farke, who could be about to miss out on promotion for the second consecutive season, when it seemed almost impossible to do so.

Neither set of supporters will question the decision either, if the German manages bottle automatic promotion a second time, which in turn, would throw the American owners’ Scotland plans completely out the window.

There is an incredible amount of money on the line this season, at Elland Road and Ibrox, and if Farke is the one hurdle that cannot be traversed, it will be a rather simple decision to get rid of him.

While the tight win at the Riverside and a return to the top of the Championship table will have eased pressure on him, while he can rightly point to a pair of perfectly good goals being wrongly ruled out at the same time, his bosses will be growing increasingly agitated with his stalling progress at a crucial time.

Given his multiple promotions with Norwich City he was brought in at Leeds for that express purpose, and despite having one of the strongest squads in the league for the past two seasons his side have choked at the key moment once, and recently threatened to do the same again, something which will no doubt spark huge anger for Marathe and company if it derails their plans in West Yorkshire and Govan.