Leeds United owners 49ers Enterprises have already reached a verdict on the future of manager Daniel Farke amid claims he could face the sack if the Whites’ quest to win promotion back to the Premier League ultimately ends in failure.
After Leeds‘ three-year stay in the English top-flight came to a sorry end last summer – as managers Jesse Marsch, Javi Gracia, and Sam Allardyce all tried and failed to arrest the club’s slide towards the Championship – the Whites were somewhat in disarray.
Former owner Andrea Radrizzani’s sale to the 49ers Enterprises had not gone through yet, the search for a new manager seemed no closer to being resolved, and one by one, players either left on loan – due to clauses inserted into their contracts – or made permanent exits.
Then, the Leeds ship began to steady. Farke became the club’s manager in early July on a four-year deal, the takeover was completed, and while Tyler Adams and Luis Sinisterra forced their way out of the Championship outfit, the German was able to restore order as they sought an immediate return to the top-flight.
The former Norwich City boss, who won the Championship twice with the Canaries, showed his disciplinarian side, too, giving Wilfried Gnonto an ultimatum: Knuckle down for Leeds and all will be forgiven for trying to engineer a summer transfer, but there would be no second chances if he tried to repeat his exit strategy.
Fast forward to the present and Farke has won 30 of his 51 games in charge, has a win percentage of 58.82%, and Leeds currently sit in the second automatic promotion spot in the Championship with one game remaining.
However, third-placed Ipswich are only behind on goal difference and a point against Coventry City on Tuesday night will take them above Farke’s men. Then, they host relegation-threatened Huddersfield Town on the final day of the season, whereas Leeds entertain fourth-placed Southampton at Elland Road.
To get 90 points in a season would normally have secured automatic promotion in years gone by but this time round it may only secure a play-off spot.
However, the fact that Ipswich, who came up from League One last season, have a much smaller wage bill and a vastly inferior budget may put extra pressure on Farke to get his side out of the division.
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