Leeds United suffered their first defeat of the Championship season on Saturday to Burnley, and it is a result that may have put manager Daniel Farke under significant pressure.
The Yorkshire side were unbeaten in their opening four league games, winning two and drawing two, but the 1-0 defeat to the Clarets leaves Leeds on eight points, already five adrift of leaders West Brom.
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Leeds are unable to do any more business until January, so the focus will be on the football side of things and looking to pick up wins as they try to return to the Premier League.
However, the club will also be putting plans in place in the background, and according to Football Insider’s Pepe O’Rourke, Leeds will look to sign a striker in January. He states that owners the 49ers Enterprises are set to make the money available to bring in a new marksman.
Sunderland’s Eliezer Mayenda has emerged as a potential target for Leeds, but it appears a move for the striker is unlikely, as the Black Cats will be unwilling to strengthen a promotion rival. The Whites are said to be in need for a new centre-forward, and the club’s owners are willing to sign one in January, as they have put funds aside to bring in a new player.
The Yorkshire side have Patrick Bamford, Mateo Joseph, Joe Gelhardt, and Joel Piroe as their options for centre-forward, but it appears as though the club and Farke are keen to add to that area of the pitch in the new year after losing several key players during the summer. But while Farke may be keeping an eye on what could happen in January, his future at the club may not all be guaranteed as speculation emerges.
Graham Smyth makes claim on Daniel Farke's Leeds future
According to YEP reporter Graham Smyth, relayed by MOT Leeds News, Farke’s future at Leeds United no longer feels “as certain as it once did”. This comes as it’s been claimed that pressure was always going to have been on the German this season after failing to seal promotion to the top tier last term.
Smyth wrote for the Yorkshire Evening Post on 15 September that it is “unknown” how the manager’s bond with the 49ers will hold up if pressure starts to increase. Plus, Farke’s indications of dissatisfaction with the transfer window have hinted that the relationship between manager and board might not be all that well, with CEO Angus Kinnear even alluding to tension behind the scenes over the summer.
Smyth wrote on Farke’s future at Leeds: “And what about the right manager for where Leeds United are in a year’s time? The question naturally asked itself as Kinnear’s statement hung in the air.
Matches
61
Won
33
Drawn
13
Lost
15
“There is, of course, only one way that Farke will be at Leeds come September 2025, and that is if they are playing Premier League football.
“Even then, it does not feel as certain as it once did, because of the way the window played out, because of what he said, what Kinnear said, and what fans were left saying after the 1-0 defeat by Burnley.”