Good morning. It’s Tuesday, 3rd September, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road…
Is There Tension Between Farke and the Leeds United Board?
Graham Smyth, the Chief Football Writer at the Yorkshire Evening Post, has hinted at possible friction between Daniel Farke and the Leeds United board following another frustrating summer transfer window.
Smyth, speaking on ‘The Square Ball’ podcast, suggested that the summer dealings—or lack thereof—may have left Farke feeling less than satisfied.
The summer saw Leeds lose three of their key players, individuals capable of changing the course of a game with a single moment of brilliance.
Replacing such talent was never going to be easy, and Farke’s new signings—Ramazani, Solomon, Tanaka, and Schmidt—being described as “young and interesting” may seem a bit dismissive given the situation.
While Farke stopped short of outright criticising the board, Smyth believes there were subtle digs aimed in their direction.
Farke’s demeanor during press interactions has been described as one of frustration, particularly when he distanced himself from the board’s financial decisions. When questioned about the club’s decision not to spend heavily, Farke retorted,
“I’m not an accountant,” highlighting the gap between his ambitions and the club’s financial approach.
Smyth recounted:
“I asked him why it was so difficult, he talked about the homegrown market being difficult, he talked about, ‘You want the right experience, you want character, you want quality, and if you want that, you have to spend an unbelievable amount of money, but the club decided not to do that’.
When I asked why… he said, ‘I’m not an accountant, I can’t tell you if we had the money to spend,’ whilst also noting that they spent quite a lot on [Joe] Rodon and a bit on Jayden Bogle… It did feel like there was a bit of chagrin in his words, and I don’t think we’re over-interpreting that, as he would say.”
Assessing the Transfer Window: Success or Failure?
Nancy Froston of The Athletic has added to the discussion, reinforcing Graham Smyth’s claims that Daniel Farke is less than thrilled with Leeds’ summer transfer activity.
Froston points out that Farke’s repeated references to a “lack of Championship experience” among the new signings are a major concern for the German manager, who views Leeds more as a ‘work in progress’ rather than a side ready to chase automatic promotion.
Leeds United spent a total of £27 million this summer, making them the second-highest spenders in the Championship, behind Burnley, who shelled out £40 million.
While the new signings appear promising, they fall short of the expectations fans had at the beginning of the summer, particularly in light of the high-profile departures.
Archie Gray’s sale was supposed to “balance the books,” but whether the squad is strong enough to mount a serious promotion challenge will become clearer when Burnley visit Elland Road in two weeks.
“What should have been a period of calm preparation for the new season ended up becoming a rebuild,” Froston wrote.
“Eleven outgoings (not including released players) and eight signings brought anger, panic, and finally, a degree of hope that they now have a squad with enough quality to win Premier League promotion this season.”
She continued, “The positives of the weekend’s 2-0 Championship home win against Hull City should have put a neat bow on Leeds’ summer business, which closed 16 hours before kick-off.
Instead, manager Daniel Farke’s comments raised more questions about a window that was full of them.
Did Farke get what he wanted? Crucially, did he get what he feels Leeds need if they are to do better than last season’s painful promotion near-miss? His repeated mentioning of the signings’ lack of Championship experience—and, save for Manor Solomon, experience of any kind in English football—shows he sees Leeds as a ‘work in progress’ side.”
As the season progresses, the true impact of this summer’s transfer dealings will become apparent. For now, though, it seems there is still much to be done to ensure Leeds United is on the right track for promotion.