Daniel Farke ‘not in danger’ of Leeds sack, but tricky run will test 49ers’ resolve – Sources | OneFootball

Leeds United are currently satisfied with the job Daniel Farke has done at Elland Road this season with sources insisting he is no immediate danger of the sack – but 49ers Enterprises’ resolve is likely to be tested amid very real fears that the Whites could find themselves in the relegation zone come the turn of the year.

The German guided Leeds back into the Premier League at the second time of asking last season, after collecting the first 100-point tally in the club’s history as they edged out Burnley to the Championship title. During his first two years at the helm, Farke has been able to rack up the best win percentage record of any manager in the club’s history, which currently sits at 55.65%.

However, while Leeds made easy work of second-tier fodder, the step-up in class this season has tested Farke’s abilities in the extreme.

The brief for Farke this season is simple: accrue enough points to survive and ensure they don’t make an immediate return to the Championship.

And while Leeds have proved competitive in all but two of their games this season, a dismal 3-0 defeat at Brighton last time – in a match in which the Whites were second best in every department – has seen the pressure heaped back on the manager’s shoulders.

Next up, Leeds face a vital clash against fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. A win for Leeds could send them seven points of the relegation zone; defeat will see them hoovered right back into the mix.

However, the importance of a positive result for Leeds is underlined by an exceptionally tricky run of games once the Premier League resumes after the latest international break.

Despite that, our transfer correspondent, Dean Jones, is adamant that the Leeds board remain behind their manager as it stands, though he accepts their resolve will be seriously tested if the club do find themselves in the bottom three by the time the festive fixtures roll around…

Leeds board will be tested over faith in Farke – Sources

Upon the resumption from the international break, this is what Leeds United’s fixture list looks like and their opponents’ current league position in brackets:

Given that run, it’s easy to see the importance of picking up something from Sunday’s clash against the Tricky Trees, and defeat could leave them staring down the barrel of a most unwanted run of results by the time the new year rolls around and with Leeds likely to be second favourites in all their next upcoming games.

As a result, chairman Paraag Marathe, who has already sacked one manager this season in Russell Martin at sister club, Rangers, will likely see his determination to stand by Farke tested to the extreme.

Sharing what sources have told him about the German’s future, Jones told TEAMtalk: “Leeds have been pretty happy with the way things have gone so far, there are small margins that have decided a few games, and for now Farke is not in danger.

“But, obviously, it does not take long for things to change radically in the Premier League. We see sides unravel every season and over the next month, the resolve of the club may be tested.

“The fixture list looks tough and if Leeds are coming out on the wrong side each game, then they will probably be in the bottom three heading towards the Christmas period.

“That’s when they will really have to decide if Farke is showing the nous to keep them competitive and in the division.”

Latest Leeds news: Klopp links dismissed; Farke to consider axing five at Forest

One man who absolutely will not be succeeding Farke as Leeds manager is Jurgen Klopp. And despite tentative links to the Whites’ hotseat through the club’s Red Bull links, that is something nigh-on impossible, even though one of his most prized former players has dropped a bombshell revelation that Klopp is to ‘go back into management’.

Leeds United’s dismal showing at Brighton leaves Farke with big questions over five players heading into Sunday’s clash at Forest, and with the club’s summer transfer policy also coming under fresh scrutiny, we’ve taken a look at the options available to the under-pressure Whites manager.

On the incoming transfer front, Leeds’ chances of raiding Villa for Ross Barkley have been revealed by a transfer journalist, amid claims the Whites are more likely to pursue four other targets if given some PSR wriggle room in January.