Daniel Farke has built up a fine reputation for giving youngsters a chance during his time as a manager. The German, who saw his appointment as Leeds United’s new chief announced on Tuesday, has taken pride in giving young players a leg up in the past, particularly at Norwich where his circumstances meant he needed to look to the impressive crop of academy talent at the club.
He’ll be keeping his eye on a number of starlets within the Leeds squad, then, given the amount of talent the club have on the verge of first-team breakthroughs. With that in mind, here’s a look at a handful of players who will credit Farke as playing key roles in their development.
James Maddison
Maddison had already picked up first-team appearances for Norwich, Coventry City and Aberdeen prior to Farke’s arrival at Carrow Road, but it’s fair to say he was far from established at Championship level. Farke, though, threw Maddison straight into the Canaries' starting line-up, giving him Norwich’s chief playmaker responsibility and he did not fail to deliver.
Maddison’s talent was always obvious, but once it had clicked for him under Farke there was no looking back. He scored 14 goals in his only season under the German, including a hat-trick against Hull City, and picked up eight assists along the way, too.
Read more: The Leeds United U21 promotion heroes trying to follow James Maddison example under Daniel Farke
That form saw him seal a move to Leicester City in June 2018 for a reported fee in the region of £20m. Maddison won’t be coming up against his old coach this time around, though, having just signed for Tottenham Hotspur.
Todd Cantwell
Cantwell didn’t make his league debut for Norwich until a few months after Maddison’s departure but he was asked to pick up some of the creative slack. Marco Stiepermann filled the void in attacking midfield, but Cantwell looked the part cutting in from left and attempting to cause trouble.
He made 24 appearances in Farke’s first promotion winning campaign before making a name for himself in the Premier League the season after, notching up six goals and two assists from the left. The former England under-21 international bagged another six goals and a hatful of assists back in the Championship before losing his place in the line-up.
Like Maddison he has been on the move recently, joining Rangers on a permanent deal last January.
Jamal Lewis
Farke turned to Lewis in December 2017, making his first start for the club just a week or so after making his league debut and he never looked back. He went on to make 22 appearances in his first season in the Championship under the German, before playing all but four games during the 2018-19 promotion campaign.
The 28 Premier League appearances he made the following season caught the eye of Newcastle United, who completed his signing in September 2020. Unfortunately, Lewis who is now 25, has hardly had a look in at St James’ Park over the last two seasons and he made just two appearances last season.
He could be on the move this summer, it seems.
Ben Godfrey
Like others on this list, Godfrey had seen first-team football prior to Farke’s arrival at Carrow Road. He made a handful of appearances for hometown club York City in League Two before joining Norwich and he had also had two Championship run outs in yellow.
However, after catching the eye on loan at Shrewbury Town, Farke turned to a 20-year-old Godfrey to play a key role at the back. He went on to spend a season and a half in Norwich’s first-team ranks before moving to Everton in October 2020.
He’s still at Goodison Park but injury restricted him to just 13 Premier League appearances last time around.
Max Aarons
It’s fair to say Farke threw Aarons into the deep end as he gave him his league debut in the East Anglian derby against Ipswich Town. He fared well, though, and went on to start the remaining 40 games of the season at right-back, helping the young side to promotion.
He’s had that right-back role on lockdown ever since. He had a strong relationship with Farke and this season will be the first time he has come up against his former coach and mentor.
Adam Idah
Idah’s career has been held up somewhat due to injuries, but he’ll be aiming to have a big season at Norwich City this time around and firmly establish himself as one of the brightest young strikers in the second tier. He’s still only 22 but he’s bagged 10 goals in 81 appearances for Norwich in all competitions and Farke is the man credited with giving him his debut and finding the opportunities needed to develop as a forward.
The Republic of Ireland international will be keen to improve on that goal ratio this season and find some consistency, too.
Andrew Omobamidele
Unfortunately Farke wasn’t able to stick around at Carrow Road and see the best of Andrew Omabamidele, but he recognised his talent and potential enough to give him a league debut back in 2021. The Irishman made 13 appearances prior to Farke’s dismissal, edging his way into first-team contention.
Last season, though, the Ireland international made 34 appearances for Norwich, establishing himself in the Championship and even wearing the captain’s armband on a number of occasions towards the end of the season. The centre-back turned 21 last month and reports have suggested Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace and AC Milan are on his tail.
Angus Gunn
The Norwich-born goalkeeper signed for Farke twice during his time at Carrow Road, with his first stint being a loan from Manchester City. He was just 21-year-old at time and had never played a minute of senior football but Farke threw him into the line-up to play all 46 Championship games during the 2017-18 campaign.
He would spend three seasons with Southampton after the completion of his loan but he return to Norfolk in June 2021 to play for Farke again. Unfortunately, Farke was sacked just a few months later.
