Daniel Farke sacked, multi-million exit – Three predictions for the rest of Leeds’ 25-26 season
It’s been a rather underwhelming return to the Premier League for Leeds United.
In their last return to the top flight under Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds had 10 points from eight games, beating the likes of Fulham, Sheffield United and Aston Villa, while also drawing at Elland Road against Manchester City.
After eight games into this season, Leeds have eight points, with their two wins being against Everton and bottom-placed Wolves.
Leeds fans were left deflated by the club’s summer business, with many not thinking that Daniel Farke‘s been left with the tools to match Bielsa’s feat of keeping the Whites in the Premier League at the first attempt.
And after Leeds lost 2-0 to Burnley, who were promoted alongside them last season from the Championship, there’s more frustration and some are starting to point the finger at the man in the dugout.
Here, MOT Leeds News predicts three things that could happen between now and the end of the season after what’s happened so far.
Daniel Farke sacked by 49ers Enterprises
Let’s face it, there’s every chance that 49ers Enterprises could sack Farke between now and the end of the season.
Even though he secured promotion from the Championship last season, Leeds reportedly toyed with the idea of sacking Farke based on his past record at Norwich, where he struggled to keep them up.
Farke’s done a decent job at Elland Road, but Paraag Marathe and co might believe that the German has taken the Whites as far as they can get.
He’s a superb manager for the Championship. But history is starting to repeat itself in the Premier League, where he doesn’t seem to quite have the Midas touch.
Survival – just about
Leeds should avoid the drop, but not because they have a manager who’s an expert in doing that right now, nor because they have an amazing squad.
As it stands, the Whites are 15th, with more points than five other teams.
Wolves look hopeless and are yet to win in the Premier League, West Ham are in serious danger, Nottingham Forest are this season’s crisis club and Brentford and Burnley have looked fairly poor in spells.
You also can’t rule out Fulham slipping down the table or Sunderland mucking up their brilliant start.
Farke might not be the manager for the remaining months of the season but we still reckon whoever is in charge will keep the Whites in the Premier League, simply because there’ll be three worse teams than them.
Illan Meslier sold
Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier was linked with a move away from Elland Road in the summer.
At one point, it was reported that Como had lodged a bid worth £4.3million for Meslier, who’s nosedived down the goalkeeping pecking order in West Yorkshire.
Meslier has gone from playing 39 times in the Championship last season to making just four of nine matchday squads in all competitions this season and making the starting line-up zero times.
Lucas Perri has displaced him as number one and Karl Darlow has pushed the Frenchman down to Farke’s third-choice goalkeeper.
Stats from last season prove why, too, with Sofascore‘s ‘goals prevented’ stat showing that Mesier conceded almost three more goals than he should have done last term.
However, Meslier is 25, he’s had some decent clubs showing an interest in him and he has a lot of experience for a goalkeeper his age.
Someone will likely take a chance on him in January and pay a multi-million-pound fee that Leeds really should be happy with.
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