Appointing a new manager was Leeds United’s biggest priority heading into the new Championship season. The Whites parted ways with Sam Allardyce following their Premier League relegation and they have spent the last month looking for a new man to take them into a bright new era under 49ers Enterprises’ ownership.
That search has come to an end with the appointment of Daniel Farke being confirmed earlier today at Elland Road. The German will get to work with his players immediately with pre-season already underway and with the Championship opener against Cardiff City just four and a half weeks away, there’s no time to waste.
He would undoubtedly have liked longer with his squad before the campaign gets going but he’ll hope to have an instant impact on his players at Thorp Arch as he bids to get them ready for their first friendly against Manchester United next Wednesday in Norway. There’s still so much more on Leeds’ to-do list though, before they can be considered ready for the start of the campaign.
Obviously most of it hinges on the takeover approval with EFL approval still to come. The Whites' wait on the 49ers Enterprises’ buyout green light has complicated their summer transfer business.
READ MORE: LIVE reaction as Leeds United appoint Daniel Farke
However, with the club in its fourth week of waiting, the hope is United will be able to start spending money and being aggressive in the window before too long. The new manager is over the line and they would dearly love to give him the tools needed to do the job to the best of his ability.
That means freshening up the squad with new, talented individuals to not only improve on what they already have but to fill glaring holes that could emerge with further departures expected. Farke will have done his homework and he’ll know plenty about the squad he’ll be greeted by at Thorp Arch.
As such, he’ll know who he’d be willing to let leave and who he wants to keep hold of at all costs. One of the first tasks Farke will set himself, then, is speaking to the latter group of individuals and attempt to persuade them to stick around.
That is likely to include the likes of Tyler Adams, Jack Harrison and Wilfried Gnonto. Farke will be keen to sell his vision and he’ll hope to get buy-in from those who he’ll believe can carry the Whites back to the big time.
Largely, though, the head coach will be keen to get some quality time with his players on the Thorp Arch turf as he looks to get his message across and get his team moving in the right direction. That’s no easy feat in just four and a half weeks, but he’ll have a familiar backroom team alongside him and he’ll be doing all he can to get the best out of the squad he has inherited and the new faces that may arrive.
Promotion at the first time of asking simply has to be the aim for Leeds this season and appointing someone who has two Championship winners’ medals at home is a good start. Leeds, though, must continue to have that end goal in mind with every movement they make from here on in.
