Daniel Farke sends top Leeds official on special transfer mission
Daniel Farke has already started planning for next season at Leeds United.
The Whites lead the Championship but the race for promotion is expected to go down to the wire with Sheffield United and Burnley chasing them down.
The Elland Road outfit are hoping to secure a Premier League berth for the first time since the 2022/23 season and Farke is planning for life in the top-flight.
Farke sends top scout on Leeds transfer mission
Although Leeds’ promotion is not guaranteed, the German is understood to want to add Premier League quality to his squad.
A report from the Sun on Sunday (page 55, 23 March) claims that he has sent his top scout to Germany to look for top talent.
It states that the Whites had scouts at Bundesliga and second-tier matches recently checking out potential recruits.
Leeds can find bargains in the Bundesliga
Farke’s homeland has proved a hotbed for talent in recent years and Farke is well aware of that, having signed Ao Tanaka last summer from Fortuna Dusselsorf for a fee of £2.9million.
The Japan international has emerged as one of the Whites’ best players and already looks like he is ready for the Premier League.
| Stats (Championship) | Tanaka |
| Matches played | 35 |
| Pass accuracy | 89.9% |
| Ground duels won | 164 (56.6%) |
| Aerial duels won | 33 (66%) |
The Elland Road outfit needs to repeat that kind of business if they secure promotion to the top-flight as survival will be very hard to achieve given the bridge in quality.
Last season’s promoted teams are set to come straight back down to the second tier and the gap between the divisions seems to be at an all-time high.
The Whites’ business needs to be perfect, otherwise their chances of an extended stay in the Premier League will be minimal, their are plenty of solid foundational pieces in the squad such as Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu, and Manor Solomon but they need to add top-quality in the market.
Germany provides value for money that British players cannot match, given the inflated fees that clubs demand for them and if Farke can take advantage of that market, it could pay off very well, if they can find more gems like Tanaka.