“What I’ve heard” : – Simon Grayson issues verdict on Daniel Farke’s future

Former Leeds United manager Simon Grayson does not believe that Daniel Farke’s job should be under threat if the Whites lose to Southampton in Sunday’s play-off final.

Farke arrived at Elland Road in July following Leeds’ relegation from the Premier League, and having won the Championship title on two occasions previously in his career with Norwich City, there was hope that the German would be the man to lead the club to an immediate return to the top flight.

The Whites looked to be in a strong position to secure automatic promotion, but a run of just two wins in their final eight games of the regular season saw them finish third, with Ipswich Town beating them to second place.

That decline in form put huge pressure on Leeds ahead of the play-offs, but they booked their place in the final with an emphatic 4-0 win over Norwich in their semi-final second leg last Thursday night.

The Whites will face Southampton, who have done the double over them this season, in the final at Wembley on Sunday, and having lost their previous three play-off finals, they will be hoping they can reverse that trend.

It has been claimed that Leeds will need to raise up to £100 million in player sales if they fail to win promotion, with star players like Crysencio Summerville expected to depart, so it is a crucial game for the club.

Simon Grayson on Daniel Farke’s Leeds United future

Grayson praised Farke for the work he has done at Leeds, particularly considering the difficult situation he inherited in the summer, and he said his job should not be at risk if he fails to deliver promotion this weekend.

“I think you never what’s round the corner or what decisions people are making, but from what I see and what I’ve heard around, the owners at Leeds have been very impressed with Daniel,” Grayson said to FLW via Freebets.com.

“He’s come in, and the summer and the first month of the season was a mess with players that were leaving, not leaving.

“It was a mixed bag of results to start with, but he’s steadied the ship and got them in an unbelievable position.

“Of course, the expectancy level at Leeds is huge and they were expected to go straight back up and wanted to go straight back up, but that isn’t easy.

“What he’s achieved will weigh in his favour, but again with football, you never know.

“I’d be very surprised if he was to leave Leeds if they didn’t get promoted.”

Leeds United must stick with Daniel Farke this summer

It is difficult to disagree with Grayson on this one, and it would be a surprise if Leeds decided to part company with Farke if they are not promoted.

There is no doubt that missing out on the top two was hugely disappointing for the Whites, but their points total of 90 would usually have been enough for automatic promotion, and the players showed they are still behind Farke with an outstanding performance in the play-off semi-finals against Norwich.

As Grayson says, Farke has restored stability to Leeds after a turbulent start to his reign, and should they lose to Southampton this weekend, you would back him to have them competing at the top of the Championship again next season.

It will be an incredibly tough game for the Whites on Sunday, but if they can replicate the performance they produced against Norwich, they will have an excellent chance of securing their return to the Premier League.