Leeds United to join Leicester in automatic promotion after Daniel Farke gets January transfer boost – BBC pundit
Carlton Palmer still believes that Leeds United can gain automatic promotion alongside Leicester City this season despite falling nine points back from Ipswich Town.
The BBC Sport pundit told Football League World on 27 October that Daniel Farke will be “pleased” about where he has his side currently, despite the 1-0 loss at Stoke City in midweek, because there is “more to come” once he gets to the January transfer window.
For that reason Palmer is sticking with his own belief that it will be the Whites and the Foxes that claim the top two spots in the Championship even though the leaders and second placed Ipswich are setting a “relentless” pace, because Farke came into the situation at Elland Road late.
Palmer said: “Leeds United drop nine points behind Ipswich Town. It was a disappointing defeat the other night to Stoke City – their first defeat in four games after three straight wins.
“There is a long way still to go in the season, with Ipswich and Leicester setting a relentless pace, Leicester winning their last six straight games, and Ipswich winning their last five and drawing one.
“I predicted Leicester and Leeds to get promoted automatically and I still stand by that.
“Daniel [Farke] came into Leeds United late, and he’s always maintained that if he could get to the transfer market in January with them in contention, then they would kick on in the second half of the season.
“So, I think he will be pleased with where they are currently in the league now, with the knowledge that there is more to come.”
Ambitious
The loss at Stoke has dampened some of the optimism that had built up after a run of three consecutive wins, and particularly the excellent 3-2 comeback victory at Norwich in the previous outing.
Farke made changes that didn’t really work and Patrick Bamford’s attempt to finally lift the pressure off his shoulders, by scoring the late penalty he had won, failed as he fired over the bar to make his own plight even harder.
But third place in the table is not to be sniffed at considering the instability that marked the first month of the season while the summer window was still open.
And were it not for record-breaking starts to the season from the two teams above then Leeds United would likely be in touching distance of the top.
Barring a major drop off it looks like Leicester may already be on a procession to the title, but Ipswich’s form is a big surprise as a promoted side.
Great credit has to go to Kieran McKenna for that but it remains to be seen whether they can maintain it throughout the campaign.
The 4-3 Whites win at Portman Road on 26 August is arguably when the Leeds season finally got under way after the arrival of Joel Piroe, and remains the last time Ipswich were beaten.
As Farke has seen his side climb the table since then he would appear to be right on track for his plan to reach January and kick on from there, so there is plenty of reason for optimism still.
In other Leeds United news, Chris Sutton says it is “unfair” that a manager is now set to be sacked with the Whites having contributed.