{"id":1191464,"date":"2026-09-07T13:36:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T13:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1191464\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T13:36:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T13:36:11","slug":"leeds-united-eight-glorious-reasons-why-daniel-farke-deserves-a-massive-new-contract","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1191464\/","title":{"rendered":"Leeds United: Eight glorious reasons why Daniel Farke deserves a massive new contract"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leeds United<\/a> are understood to be closing in on a new contract for manager Daniel Farke, with the German expected to earn not just a pay rise that rewards his progress, but also a move that should ensure the Whites continue their magnificent rise under his guidance.<\/p>\n

Any Leeds<\/strong> <\/a>fan born around the turn of the millennium will have become all too familiar with seeing the club labouring outside the top flight, struggling under the weight of their \u2018sleeping giants\u2019 tag and with a string of managers all trying \u2013 and failing \u2013 to stir the club from their slumbers, following their tragic, self-inflicted demise that led to relegation from the Premier League in 2004.<\/p>\n

All that changed when the legendary Marcelo Bielsa walked through the door, and promotion back to the Premier League was greeted with scenes many will not have witnessed, but will have brought a nostalgic tear to the eye of those that had.<\/p>\n

But when Leeds failed to back the Uruguayan with serious funds after a successful first season back among the elite \u2013 the club simply assuming Bielsa would continue to sprinkle his fairy dust on the squad \u2013\u00a0 it all began falling apart at the seams.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, some 15 months after Bielsa\u2019s sacking, Leeds found themselves back in the second tier again. An all-too-familiar tale of woe.<\/p>\n

In a bid to steady the ship, Leeds turned to Farke<\/strong><\/a>, who was granted a four-year deal with two simple mandates: earn promotion and re-establish the Whites as a Premier League club.<\/p>\n

Farke, by his own admission, felt it would take the duration of his contract to achieve this, but having gotten the club ahead of schedule, they have now started the 2026\/27 season unbeaten.<\/p>\n

Now, with that four-year deal entering its final season, TEAMtalk has revealed that talks over an extension are now gathering pace<\/a> \u2013 and only the \u2018final details\u2019 are left to be sorted with the 49-year-old.<\/p>\n

That will prove a fitting reward for Farke as we take a look at eight reasons why he\u2019s more than earned his Elland Road pay-hike\u2026<\/p>\n

Eight glorious reasons Leeds must retain Farke<\/strong><\/p>\n

1)<\/strong> Leeds have improved year on year
<\/strong><\/p>\n

Inheriting a squad recently relegated always comes with great expectations, and the onus is usually on such sides to immediately bounce back.<\/p>\n

Last time Leeds fell out of the top flight, it took them 16 years, and Bielsa, to finally return; the time before that, under Howard Wilkinson, it took them eight.<\/p>\n

Farke did it in two. He could, and should have, achieved it in one, having become only the first side since 1998 to rack up 90-plus points and still miss out on automatic promotion from the second tier.<\/p>\n

That 90-point haul was backed up with a 100-point tally the season after; the highest ever achieved by the club in a single season.<\/p>\n

With promotion to the Premier League achieved, Leeds then secured a 14th-place finish; an excellent feat in their first season back, albeit with their achievements overshadowed by fellow new boys Sunderland, who remarkably finished in seventh.<\/p>\n

This season, with the side currently sitting ninth in the embryonic table, threatens to be their best yet for some time.<\/p>\n

Farke has Leeds upwardly mobile, and that improvement year on year shows no signs of halting.<\/p>\n

2)<\/strong> The<\/strong>\u00a0players buy into his ethos<\/strong><\/p>\n

Player power is quite the thing in modern football. Xabi Alonso was reportedly undermined by some big names during his short tenure at Real Madrid; there were allegations that several Liverpool players last year wanted Arne Slot gone, albeit Mohamed Salah being the only one who spoke out against the coach; while there are already uncertainties engulfing \u00c1lvaro Arbeloa at Fulham.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s never been the case at Leeds, with Farke commanding respect from his players from day one and very much having their buy-in from the start.<\/p>\n

Indeed, when the club famously altered to a 3-5-2 formation at Man City last November \u2013 more on that later \u2013 it was seemingly at the request of some senior players, indicating that he is also happy to give them a voice too.<\/p>\n

Either way, Leeds\u2019 stars have a healthy admiration for the boss, who has proved one of the best \u2013 if not the most heralded \u2013 man-managers around.<\/p>\n

3)<\/strong> Farke has the support of the board<\/strong><\/p>\n

An obvious, but an important one. When Farke challenged the 49ers to deliver some strong signings and show ambition this summer, they delivered.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yes, there was a little bit of wavering last autumn when Leeds hit a wobbly patch, and there were suggestions he could be replaced.<\/p>\n

But with a bang-on 50% win percentage record, majority owners, 49ers Enterprises, know they\u2019re onto a good thing with Farke.<\/p>\n

4)<\/strong> The fans are onside<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another obvious one, and while there are few more brilliant grounds in the country when it\u2019s all going well, there are also fewer more toxic ones when it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n

Leeds fans have been treated under Farke. And while he\u2019s not revered in the same echelons as the iconic Bielsa (yet!), even the most cynical of supporters \u2013 and Leeds have a few \u2013 have been won round by the charismatic German. And that\u2019s something that is (Farke\u2019s words) \u2018unbelievable hard\u2019.<\/p>\n

5)<\/strong> His transfer decisions are spot on<\/strong><\/p>\n

This summer: Trafford > Perri; Muharemovic > Struijk; Elvedi > Bournauw; Wilson, well, he\u2019s just Wilson.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s been some gems too: \u00a35m Jayden Bogle; \u00a32.9m Ao Tanaka; \u00a318m Anton Stach; the latter, who is probably already worth four times that amount, going off this summer\u2019s bonkers midfielder transfers.<\/p>\n

And who can forget the most symbolic of the lot: Ethan Ampadu for \u00a37m \u2013 a player that many had written off and one whose current club, Chelsea, could probably make space for now.<\/p>\n

Working in tandem with director of football Adam Underwood, Farke and Leeds have got a helluva lot more right than wrong and have upscaled their transfers from the Championship to the Premier League with brilliant ease.<\/p>\n

6)<\/strong> He\u2019s not afraid of brutal decisions<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s taken him some time and a period to get over a sense of stubbornness, but Farke has now shown he\u2019s not afraid of the big decisions.<\/p>\n

Long-serving goalkeeper Illan Meslier was dumped at a crucial phase of the promotion run-in, while the man signing last summer as their answer (Lucas Perri) was very quickly binned off when Farke realised he wasn\u2019t up to scratch and the Brazilian\u2019s kicking game was dicy, not spicy.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s been other big calls too down the line, with Farke\u2019s latest one being the exit of Willy Gnonto, despite the manager admitting his exit left him with more than one tear streaming down his face<\/a>.<\/p>\n

7)<\/strong> Farke has grown as a manager and is now tactically flexible<\/strong><\/p>\n

To grow in the game, you have to learn, adapt and prepare to throw caution to the wind. For a man who has rigidly stuck by a 4-3-3, or variation of it, throughout his career, it was a real eye-opener when Leeds came out for that second half at the Etihad in a new 3-5-2 shape.<\/p>\n

I was there at the Etihad that day and couldn\u2019t quite believe what I was witnessing, but no sooner had I taken my seat for the second half than Leeds had scored a quickfire reply.<\/p>\n

That formation has stuck ever since \u2013 and boy has it suited Leeds. Players accustomed to playing in that way formed a big part of their summer transfer strategy \u2013 and the early signs are that it is paying off.<\/p>\n

However, Farke is not too rigid not to change his ways when the occasion requires; and he\u2019s shown he can too mix things up and change the side\u2019s shape if they either need to see a game out, or go in search of an equaliser \u2013 as illustrated in the recent 1-1 home draw with Brentford.<\/p>\n

8) Results, results, results!!!<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the end of the day, it doesn\u2019t matter how clever you are with tactics boards, how much the players like you, or how maverick your approach to the game is, if you\u2019re not picking up results, you\u2019re absolutely nothing in this game.<\/p>\n

Since that switch to the 3-4-2-1 as they largely now play, Leeds have got better and better as a side.<\/p>\n

In fact, their form since Santa came down the chimney last year is topped only by four other sides in Europe\u2019s top five leagues \u2013 a remarkable turnaround for a man who was seemingly on his way out late last autumn.<\/p>\n

\n

That\u2019s just six defeats in 34 games in all competitions for Leeds now. Only four teams in Europe\u2019s top-five leagues have lost fewer games since December. This is following six defeats in seven games in October\/November. Impressive. #lufc<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/GnOUwtR2Wg<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jonny Cooper (@JRCooper26) September 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

All things considered, Leeds are on to a very good thing with Farke, the man who came, conquered and proved himself one of the best around in the Premier League.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Leeds United are understood to be closing in on a new contract for manager Daniel Farke, with the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1191465,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[8814],"tags":[748,1385,393,14146,4884,225,1860,2922,12,16,15],"class_list":["post-1191464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-leeds","tag-britain","tag-daniel-farke","tag-england","tag-f365-features","tag-great-britain","tag-home-page","tag-leeds","tag-leeds-united","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1191464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1191464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1191464\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1191465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1191464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1191464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1191464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}