Shock Leeds United, Jose Mourinho claim made amid Daniel Farke development | OneFootball

Richard Keys has claimed Jose Mourinho turned down the chance to replace Daniel Farke at Leeds United.

Richard Keys has claimed that José Mourinho turned down an offer to replace Daniel Farke at Leeds United before the German was given the backing of chairman Paraag Marathe.

The Whites have just enjoyed a remarkable Championship season, as they collected 100 points and lifted the title thanks to a win at Plymouth on Saturday.

Despite that, there had been intense speculation surrounding the future of Farke, with some reports claiming the hierarchy at Elland Road were unsure of his ability to manage in the Premier League after previous struggles with Norwich.

Jose Mourinho said to have turned down Leeds United job due to relegation fears

Mourinho was among the names linked with the Leeds role as talk increased of Farke’s potential departure.

However, Marathe put any doubts about Farke’s future to bed over the weekend, as he gave his full support to the 48-year-old, and confirmed he would be leading the team in the top-flight.

But, in his latest blog post, broadcaster Keys stated that the decision to back Farke came because Mourinho, currently in charge of Fenerbahce, rejected the chance to move to Yorkshire.

“Leeds’ chairman Paraag Marathe is quite pleased with himself after publicly backing Daniel Farke ‘I have ended the speculation’ he said. ‘He is my man’. What he’s not saying is he started the speculation by offering Farke’s job to Jose Mourinho. I know that for a fact. It was Mourinho who actually ended the speculation by turning the offer down.

“It was a smart move by Marathe. Mourinho would’ve set Elland Road alight and the PL is always better when he’s working in it. Sadly Marathe couldn’t convince Mourinho that Leeds won’t be fighting a relegation battle next season. That’s not something the Special One wants. Perhaps he’s right.”

Leeds United must focus on supporting Daniel Farke ahead of Premier League return

It felt very harsh that there was talk about Farke’s future after he has done such a great job for Leeds, but that’s the way football is.

If Keys’ claims are to be believed, it shows how ruthless Marathe and the board are prepared to be, which is a positive in many ways, as they want to do all they can to keep Leeds in the Premier League.

It could be argued that the club should always look to improve where possible, and Mourinho’s CV is obviously incredibly impressive, and he would have been a blockbuster appointment for Leeds.

Whether it would’ve worked is open to debate, but it does seem that sticking with Farke is a sensible choice.

He has built this current squad, and he will want to test himself in the Premier League with serious financial backing, something he lacked at Carrow Road.

So, now the speculation is over, it’s down to Farke and the recruitment team to get to work as they target players that can help prevent Leeds