Daniel Farke appointment was ‘huge statement’ after Leeds United announcement – Sky Sports pundit
Leeds United have made a “huge statement” by appointing Daniel Farke as manager this summer, according to Sky Sports pundit David Prutton.
The former Norwich City boss Farke was appointed by the 49ers Enterprises as the new Whites boss on a four-year deal on Tuesday 4 July, as confirmed by the official Leeds website.
And according to Prutton, speaking in his column for the Yorkshire Evening Post (17 July) believes that the Leeds United players will have been “chomping at the bit” to work under him starting in pre-season.
He said: “It makes it a lot cleaner and a lot more straightforward. There will obviously be players coming and going and who is in charge of that and these are all other things that Leeds need to get right.
“But I think it’s a huge statement for a manager to be there on day one as you come back after the summer break because the majority of Leeds players that I have come across will have spent the last few weeks stewing on it, absolutely stewing, and rightly so because of what a disastrous season it turned out to be.
“I’d like to think that they’d be chomping at the bit to get back to it and it’s important that one of the first faces that they see through the door is the boss. He’s the person that’s going to be demanding of you from day one because that’s what the Championship is.”
Statement indeed
Given Farke’s impressive record in the Championship previously, the 49ers and the Leeds United hierarchy will certainly feel they’ve made the right choice for their immediate future.
The German coach is already proven at this level, having won over 70 games during his Carrow Road days and achieved two Championship titles along with promotions to the Premier League.
The Whites desperately needed that experience at the helm and more crucially, the winning mentality in order to compete in such a gruelling and unforgiving division.
Their pre-season preparations didn’t get off to the best of starts after the 2-0 defeat to Manchester United in Norway, which further highlighted the huge job the German has on his hands, but some of his players definitely showed glimpses of what they can do which is a little cause of optimism and encouragement.
Farke is clearly and undoubtedly the right man, but the question remains whether the 49ers can hand him the resources to do what he does best and galvanise a group who have been through the mire last season.
In other Leeds United news, Elland Road’s star player last season may be set to stay at the club after a shock revelation.