‘Leeds to spend over £100m in transfer window as Daniel Farke sack update emerges’
Leeds United have confirmed their promotion back to the Premier League for next season, and are already making plans for a return to the top-flight.
On Monday (21 April), Daniel Farke’s side thrashed Stoke City 6-0, with Burnley then beating Sheffield United 2-1 later in the day.
That ensured that both Leeds and Scott Parker’s side have now secured automatic promotion from the Championship this season.
However, the success of returning the Whites to the Premier League may seemingly not be enough to keep Farke in a job at Elland Road.
Daniel Farke position under threat despite promotion
Some pundits have already suggested that Leeds should sack Farke in the wake of promotion, given his poor record in the Premier League with Norwich.
The Canaries finished bottom during Farke’s first season with them in the top-flight, winning just 21 points across that campaign.
While they were then immediately promoted the season after, the German was then sacked with the club having taken only five points from 11 Premier League games at the start of the subsequent campaign.
As a result, a report from the Daily Mail indicates that Leeds are considering changing their manager ahead of their return to the Premier League.
Those in charge at Elland Road are said to have concerns over Farke’s top-flight record with Norwich, and other candidates are being considered.
However, the club will apparently only make that change if they are confident a replacement will be able to deliver success, which is far from a certainty.
| Daniel Farke as Leeds manager | Total (from Transfermarkt) |
| Played | 102 |
| Won | 54 |
| Drawn | 29 |
| Lost | 19 |
| Scored | 196 |
| Conceded | 94 |
Last season saw all three promoted clubs – Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United – relegated from the Premier League.
It looks as though that will happen again this season, with Leicester and Southampton already down, and Ipswich now 15 points from safety with five games to go.
Leeds will be looking to end that trend, but it is reportedly expected they will need to spend in excess of the £107million invested by Ipswich last summer if they are to succeed with their efforts to do that.
The summer window therefore looks set to be a busy one at Elland Road, especially as players will in that case need to be sold in order to comply with PSR in the Premier League while investing that amount.
It is understood that a return to Leeds for Kalvin Phillips is already on the cards following his struggles since moving to Man City, and in subsequent loan spells at West Ham and Ipswich.
Leeds United have to take major action this summer
Football Insider Verdict
With the gulf that is growing between the Premier League and Championship, it is clearly becoming harder for promoted clubs to avoid an immediate relegation from the top-flight.
For the purposes of the all-round spectacle that the league should be, it feels vital that Leeds or one of the other promoted clubs at least make a fight of survival next time round.
That will undoutedly mean strengthening the playing squad, and may now mean an alteration in the Elland Road dugout as well.
It would feel somewhat harsh to sack Farke after all the good he has done for the club, but ultimately football is a result business.
In that sense, the Leeds manager’s record in the top-flight does not stand up, so pre-empting any struggles with a change to provide the best chance of avoiding immediate relegation could make sense.
The club’s owner the 49ers Enterprise are also involved in a proposed takeover of Rangers, meaning that retaining Premier League revenue for more than one season is now even more important.
With that in mind, change both on and off the pitch at Elland Road this summer ought not only to be unsurprising, but also expected.