Jermaine Pennant shares Leeds United promotion prediction, drops verdict on Daniel Farke
Former Leeds United star Jermaine Pennant believes Daniel Farke will be the club’s best asset in their quest to return back to the Premier League next season.
Speaking exclusively to Football League World (15 August), Pennant shared that Farke’s experience may just get the Whites over the line but they’ve got to possess the right players to deal with the demands of the division.
Managing to rescue a late draw against Cardiff City in their opening league game of the 2023/24 campaign and a 1-0 defeat to Birmingham on Saturday, they have taken just one point from a possible four whilst losing their 11th player of the summer with Jack Harrison departing to join Everton on loan.
And Pennant believes the Whites should be at least targeting a play-off place, if not second in the table.
He said: “It’s always difficult when a team gets relegated from the Premier League.
“It’s all about having the right players and that league, the Championship, is a demanding and difficult league and we’ve seen a lot of times teams come down and never come back.
Daniel Farke has spent a lot of time in the Championship with Norwich, he’s got the experience so if anyone can guide Leeds back to the Premier League, it can be him.
“It’s all about Leeds just getting used to the Championship, the physicality of it, the speed of it. The games come thick and fast and it’s all about them getting into, possibly the play-offs if not second place.”
Difficult task right now
Right now, promotion looks like an incredibly difficult task with Farke suffering from a terribly depleted squad having been forced to field just eight substitutes in their recent 1-0 defeat away to Birmingham City on Saturday 12 August.
One point from a possible six really isn’t the best of starts, especially for a club as big as Leeds United and well within their right to be demanding a promotion spot come the end of the campaign.
However, Farke has had to deal with plenty of drama and uncertainty at Elland Road which has derailed his plans and the club are suffering so far as a result.
Pennant is absolutely right, the Championship is a demanding and difficult division, it takes no prisoners with every game a gruesome battle, and it is absolutely imperative the club’s owners back Farke with the players he needs to challenge at the highest level in tip-top condition.
Right now, Leeds United look nowhere near the best of the pack and it will be intriguing to see how they shape up come the end of the transfer window in two weeks. Before then, they’ll desperately need a win under their belt to boost confidence and morale.
In other Leeds news, another Premier League club have agreed to trigger the release clause of one key Elland Road figure.