TalkSPORT host Simon Jordan has leapt to the defence of Leeds United manager Daniel Farke following reports that the German could be replaced in the summer.
Farke is on course to record his third Championship title after twice winning the division with Norwich City. His Leeds team currently top the table with two games remaining, although they are level on points with second placed Burnley.
The Whites’ promotion to the Premier League was confirmed on Easter Monday when third placed Sheffield United lost to Burnley. This result came just hours after Farke had guided his team to an emphatic 6-0 win over Stoke City at Elland Road.
Despite the success, reports emerged yesterday that Leeds owners, 49ers Enterprises are concerned about Farke’s previous record in the Premier League and are considering sacking him if they can find the right candidate to succeed him. The 48-year-old was relegated with Norwich in 2019/2020 and was sacked just three months into the 2021/22 campaign.
Jordan Defends Farke Record
The ever-increasing gulf between the 17 surviving Premier League clubs and the three coming up from the Championship has been in the news in recent weeks. This season will be the second successive one where all three promoted teams suffer instant relegation.
Farke’s Norwich endured the same fate in their last two top tier runs, but Simon Jordan believes that was more down to the club itself than the manager. Speaking on talkSPORT, the former Crystal Palace owner said:
“If you bring a side up from the Championship, with predominantly Championship players, you know that you’ve got to have an element of gold dust and some money being spent to support the manager.
“If you’re Norwich and you spend £9million when you get promoted, you don’t give your manager a chance.
“They spent £9m on the 2019/20 season, so they got relegated. They got relegated in the season when it took 35 points to stay up, and now takes 26 in the last couple of seasons.
“The next time they go up, they spent £45m and finish bottom of the league in a season that takes 38 points to stay up.”
Writer’s View
Daniel Farke absolutely deserves the chance to manage Leeds in the Premier League. No disrespect to Norwich, but the Whites have a much better squad than the one the German had at Carrow Road, and they are likely to strengthen further in the summer. Still, the ever-growing gap between the two divisions is increasingly concerning. When the promoted clubs are having to compete with the likes of West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in the lower reaches of the Premier League, they don’t stand a chance.
