Leeds are struggling just a point above the red line down in 16th place in the Premier League and may feel they have little choice but to sack Daniel Farke if the club find themselves firmly in the relegation zone in December. Several have named a manager with several trophies as the one who is most likely to take over at Elland Road.
It has been a terrible period for Leeds United, who have lost four of their last five Premier League games and thus slipped down to one point above the relegation zone, and they face a tough series of games from next weekend. With in-form Aston Villa as their next opponent, Leeds will then face Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in what looks set to be a crucial series of fixtures for Farke.
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While a growing group of supporters are now urging the club to consider sacking their manager. But there are also many who insist that the Leeds board remain behind the 49-year-old manager as things stand, and they find themselves in a table position – 16th place – that they realistically expected to be in.
And claims that Leeds still support Farke have since been confirmed by the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth, BBC Radio Leeds’ Adam Pope and Sky Sports, among others.
If their situation worsens, however, journalist Pete O’Rourke feels that 49ers Enterprises will feel they have no choice but to sack the German and give themselves a better chance of survival in the Premier League.
“Four defeats in the last five games have set alarm bells ringing at Elland Road,” he told the Inside Track podcast.
“You’ve seen clubs like Wolves change managers, West Ham have changed managers and Nottingham Forest have changed managers because they were at the wrong end of the table.”
“That’s why you get the ongoing speculation that maybe Leeds could be the next one to also look for a change of manager.”
“It seems like the hierarchy at Leeds wants to keep the faith of Daniel Farke and they want to give him a series of games to turn Leeds’ fortunes around.”
“They have tough games coming up, with Villa, Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool in the next few games, in a worrying period between now and Christmas.”
“I think if they find themselves in the relegation zone around Christmas time and there are no signs of improvement, their hands might be forced and they might consider making a change in the managerial staff.”
“But for now, it seems that they are sticking with Daniel Farke.”
In light of all this, speculation about who could replace Farke in Leeds’ dugout has begun, with journalist Graeme Bailey explaining why Brendan Rodgers appears to be the leading candidate.
Brendan Rodgers is the leading candidate to replace Farke at Leeds.
While names such as Marco Rose and Steven Gerrard have both been linked with the club, Bailey believes that former Celtic and Liverpool boss Rodgers is the man who is most likely to occupy the hot seat at Leeds, if Farke is sacked.
The 52-year-old recently left Celtic after a board collapse there, and despite helping Celtic win 11 major titles, including four league championships and subsequent triplets in his first two seasons at Parkhead.
Having also won the FA Cup during his time as manager of Leicester City, Rodgers’ reputation remains high, and with a win rate of 53.82% from his 812-game managerial career, it’s easy to see why he’s a name that will have some appeal.
Discussing Leeds’ stance, Bailey told Leeds United News: “Leeds are not ready to pull the emergency brake. From what I hear, they’re not where they hoped to be now, but they’re happy with where they are at the moment.”
“It wasn’t a good performance against Forest and the club is aware of that, but they don’t panic. Of course, it puts pressure on when you have a manager like Brendan Rodgers available. But nothing has changed, and nothing is imminent.”
As for Farke, he goes into the game against Villa on Sunday and needs an answer from his players. Leeds have been very poor in their last two away games against Forest and Brighton, and he will need a lot better from his team to show that they still support him and are serious about their desire to establish themselves back in the Premier League.
Leeds’ target for this season was always 17th place or higher, so the club is exactly where they expected to be as things stand now. But if their home form – and they have been strong at Elland Road – fades, Farke could find themselves in serious danger. And he needs Sunday’s game to set the tone before their crucial series.
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Meanwhile, while 49ers Enterprises accepts that some of the blame for the club’s problems lies with them, we’ve named four reasons why Farke can still save himself from sacking at Elland Road.
Much of Leeds’ survival hopes will rest on their ability to add more power to their attack in the January window, and sources insist that the club will try to sign a new striker in January after a poor return so far from Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha.
However, Leeds United could be written off the race to sign Ivan Toney in January for three major reasons, sources have explained, while the possibility of the English striker returning to the Premier League, after being linked with four other clubs, including Tottenham and Everton, could also be revealed.
