Daniel Farke could be looking to utilise his friends in high places this summer after landing at Leeds United. The German manager, who was officially unveiled by the club on Tuesday evening, will get to work immediately with pre-season already underway and the Championship campaign just four and a half weeks away.
Over the next few days, then, Farke will be getting to know his players on and off the training field and he’ll be keen to make an immediate impact. Of course, the Whites are still waiting for 49ers Enterprises’ takeover to be officially approved by the EFL, but once that’s over the line the 46-year-old is expected to be backed in the transfer market.
Leeds will look to be as aggressive as possible in pursuit of their targets and they’ll do their best to give Farke the tools needed to get United out of the Championship at the first time of asking.
Nick Hammond is the man pulling the transfer strings at present, but Farke is expected to have a say and he might have a few targets of his own to consider. However, it seems as though Leeds will also look to make the most of the loan market this summer, too, and that’s where the new manager's impressive list of contacts may come in handy.
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Farke is known to be friends with Bayern Munich and former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel having worked with him at Borussia Dortmund. The 49-year-old was head coach at Signal Iduna Park when Farke was in charge of the reserve team and they still have a strong relationship.
It’s a relationship he made the most of during his time at Norwich City, landing Billy Gilmour on loan in 2021, the summer of his impressive display against England at Euro 2020. Gilmour struggled to settle at Norwich, but the deal was seen as a coup at the time as the Canaries looked to strengthen following promotion.
Farke, then, may well be prepared to call up to his old pal and ask for a bit more assistance as Leeds put their squad together, particularly later in the window once it becomes clearer who may or may not be available at the Allianz Arena. It might be a long shot but Farke may well be keeping close tabs on Malik Tillman’s situation following his successful loan at Rangers.
Young Croatian attacking midfielder Gabriel Vidovic might be available too after his spell with Vitesse last season. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Farke make use of a relationship a little bit closer to home, either.
Farke has never worked with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, having just missed him at Dortmund but there is a clear mutual respect between the two and Klopp has even named his countryman alongside Pep Guardiola as one of two people he would choose to be stranded on a desert island with.
“That’s a horrible scenario,” he told Sky Sports in an old interview. “Only the three of us? I think I would go for Pep [Guardiola] and Daniel Farke. I like Daniel a lot, he’s a really good guy.”
So, as the transfer window begins to draw in, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Leeds man called on Klopp for a helping hand. Nat Phillips is known to be one of Leeds’ targets and the relationship that exists between the two might help that one over the line, but there are high quality players at Anfield in need of first-team minutes and Leeds could certainly provide them with that.
Players like Tyler Morton, who caught the eye with Blackburn Rovers last year, or goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, depending on what happens with Illan Meslier down the line. As mentioned above, everything hinges on EFL approval coming through in good time, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Farke picking up the phone and giving his old buddies in Munich and Merseyside a ring.
