Daniel Farke "red flag" raised with Leeds United future uncertain | OneFootball

The Whites' chiefs are reportedly considering sacking Farke ahead of their return to the Premier League

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Daniel Farke has been backed to keep his job as Leeds United boss in the Premier League, after reports emerged last week that the Whites' hierarchy are planning to sack him despite the club's promotion back to the top-flight being confirmed with two Championship games to spare.

Leeds returned to the Premier League on Easter Monday, as fellow promotion-hopefuls Burnley beat Sheffield United following their own 6-0 thrashing of Stoke City earlier in the day.

Farke has done a stellar job of guiding them back to the top-flight this term, after he was able to revitalise and motivate his squad following their play-off final loss to Southampton last year.

The Whites were in a jubilant mood as a club last week after promotion was confirmed, and reports of Farke's potential exit have come as a shock to many as they prepare to return to the Premier League.

Leeds fan pundit offers Daniel Farke sack verdict - he can see both sides of the argument

Leeds' promotion was confirmed last Monday evening after Burnley's win over the Blades sent both sides back to the promised land of the Premier League. Shockwaves were then sent around English football just two days later, as The Mail revealed that the Whites' chiefs were considering making a stunning managerial change and sacking the German boss in the wake of going up.

The Elland Road bosses are believed to harbour reservations about Farke being the man to lead them back into the top-flight, but no final decision has yet been made, and The Guardian have now claimed that chairman Paraag Marathe is flying into the country ahead of their clash against Bristol City to hold talks with the 48-year-old about his future at the helm.

FLW's Leeds fan pundit, Kris Smith, can see both sides of the argument when debating whether Farke should stay in charge of the club ahead of next season, but he has backed him to stay and insists that he has earned the right to keep his position following the impressive job that he has done this term.

“First of all, I think the timing of the report coming out, when we have got two games to go and it being 48 hours after Farke secured promotion, I think it was incredibly harsh and actually unfair to him to have to deal with this sort of speculation, when it should all be about celebrating the glory of getting us promoted," Kris told FLW.

“Now you just think the atmosphere, especially online, because we haven’t been to a game since it has happened, the atmosphere is tainted somewhat by all this speculation around the man who we should be lauding for just getting the job done at a club where it is notoriously hard to get things done.

“Looking at the decision itself, I think you can make a strong argument either way on this one.

“On one hand, I think he has earned the right to manage us in the Premier League having got us to 94 points, potentially even to 100 points this season. He’ll be backed a hell of a lot more than he was at Norwich, that’s for sure.

“I think when anyone looks at him struggling in the Premier League, you have to consider that he got no money or backing when he was at Norwich. He was destined to fail from the moment those seasons started.

“On the other hand, though, we have a manager here that has been criticised a fair amount this season, despite getting us promoted, due to the decisions that he has made with his lineups, and his in-game struggles in terms of making the right changes tactically.

“He has been outdone by a lot of managers that you wouldn’t consider Premier League quality that are in the Championship. (He) stuck by Illan Meslier for too long, when everyone could see that it wasn’t working.

“That was a bit of a red flag, and we just don’t have that margin for error in the Premier League, so I can see both sides of it.

“If Farke has only just got, by a mile the best squad in the Championship, over the line with two games to spare when it should have been a lot easier, really, will he be able to cope when he has got one of the three worst squads in the Premier League? It’s hard to say.”

Farke struggled in the Premier League at Norwich - he has backed himself to do better with Leeds

Farke has done a sound job of getting Leeds back to the Premier League this season. They have consistently been one of the best teams in the league throughout the campaign, despite losing multiple top players last summer and having to bounce back from the disappointment of their defeat at Wembley against the Saints.

The ex-Norwich manager's second-tier record is almost unmatchable - he is only behind Scott Parker when it comes to points-per-game record since the league was reformed as the Championship in 2004, with 1.92 PPG from his 227 matches in charge of both the Canaries and Leeds, according to transfermarkt.

He has overseen three promotions to the top-flight across his spells at both clubs, and was named Championship Manager of the Season for 2020/21. The only drawback so far has been his struggles when he has got to the top-flight with Norwich, after they were relegated in 2019/20, and he was sacked halfway through the campaign in 2021/22.

It is, therefore, understandable as to why the Whites' hierachy are unsure about his Premier League credentials up to this point, but he is likely to be given a much bigger budget to work with at Elland Road than what he had at Carrow Road, if he is kept on this summer.

Farke himself has spoken about the reports that have emerged, and he believes that he has what it takes to keep the club in the Premier League next season.

"I knew exactly for which club I signed. Normally, it’s a good effort if you last three months at this club. Once you sign for this club, you know from this moment there’s lots of pressure and expectation," he told the Yorkshire Post last week.

"On a weekly basis, someone is linked with following in your footsteps. It’s nothing new, what I wouldn’t expect. The problem is if you’re in charge of this club and you’re distracted, suffer or lose concentration, then you can’t lead this club.

"To handle the pressure and expectation and rumours and gossip is not easy but I’m fully aware this happens when you work for this club. We have achieved great things already. We also still 100 per cent concentrate and focus on winning the title if somehow possible.

"The last days I was celebrating and recovering but today back to work, making sure we achieve the next step: an established Premier League club. I have no time or energy to waste on any rumours or gossip."

It is still unclear as to whether Leeds are set to keep Farke on past the end of this campaign, but it looks as if the situation will be resolved soon as he meets with chairman Marathe over the coming days.

Whites supporters will not be impressed by the names that have been reported as potential replacements for the German head-coach, such as Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Davide Ancelotti and Roger Schmidt. Farke would surely be the better option in terms of Premier League experience and continuity for the club and squad, but stranger things have certainly happened at the Elland Road club.