Daniel Farke is the leading candidate to land the role of Leeds United head coach, it seems. The German head coach is the overwhelming favorite with the bookies and reports in Germany suggest an agreement between Farke and the Whites.
Such claims come at the end of what has been a long and meticulous selection process over the past month to find the right person. Patrick Vieira is thought to be in the running but he is on the brink of joining Strasbourg now, while Scott Parker and Brenden Rodgers are options thought to be under consideration.
Farke is well known to English football fans after spending four and a half years in charge of Norwich City, where he won two promotions to the Premier League. The 46-year-old couldn’t keep the Canaries in the top flight, but he is still regarded in favor at Carrow Road for what he managed to do during his time at the club.
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He has since spent time at Krasnodar, a club he left before he took charge one game over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and at Borussia Monchengladbach, where he spent the entirety of last season. He led the club in 10 th put the finishing touches on the Bundesliga before being sacked at the start of the summer to be replaced by Gerardo Seoane.
Over the past few days and weeks, many personalities have spoken out about Farke and their experiences with him, with Chris Sutton being one of the latest. But what have his former players said about him in the past?
Leeds Live did some online digging to bring you what nine of these former players had to say about Farke at different points in his managerial career.
Teemu Pukki
Reflecting on his time at Norwich City after his release, Pukki said of Farke:
“Big credit to him. He was a fantastic manager and it really worked for us. I enjoy working under him and it’s a great team and staff. It’s a great team to be a part of.
James Maddison
The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder credits Farke with playing a key role in the early days of his career:
“I’m a confident lad and Daniel Farke coming in was the little kick up the backside I needed. He gave me the chance to play in the Fulham away game (in August) and since then I haven’t looked back.”
Todd Cantwell
Speaking after joining Bournemouth on loan during the 2021-22 Championship campaign, Cantwell said:
“I think I had a fantastic experience with my first manager in Daniel Farke at Norwich. No matter what happens, we had a fantastic time together and he really helped develop me.”
Ben Godfrey
The Everton and former Norwich defender says Farke helped him hone his skills as a centre-back after initially appearing as a defensive midfielder:
“I trusted his opinion and I can’t argue with it at the moment. He mentioned my speed and aggressiveness and playing from the back. People tell me to be patient when I’m not playing – easier said than done, that .
“It’s very difficult when you don’t expect to play but you have to keep grafting to be ready for your chance.”
Max Aarons
Canaries right-back Aarons made his debut under Farke and, speaking to the Daily Mail, he described the emotion he felt when the German left Carrow Road:
“It was really hard to think about when Daniel left. We were there two years ago and went down and you started getting visions during that time and it was really hard to deal with.
“And then Daniel left and it was really sad. That day, after the Brentford game, I spoke to him. He told me he wanted me to work on the first day. It was an emotional conversation because I was very grateful to him.
Alexander Tettey
Tettey spent nine seasons at Norwich before ending his career in his native Norway and, speaking after Farke’s sacking, admitted the German had left nothing behind:
“Boss has done everything he can in such situations really. In terms of players, he doesn’t have 10, 15, 20 million players, he has young talent mixed with some senior players and not all of them have Premier League experience.
“He did everything he could to be fair and it was also difficult for him at times when he wanted to play but there weren’t enough players to do that.”
Joe Scally
Scally was one of Farke’s most used players last season in the Bundesliga and the American clearly liked what he saw from the man linked with Leeds:
“I like him a lot. He’s a really good coach and speaks perfect English because of his past in Norwich. That’s very comfortable for me because it just makes communication easier. He has his own philosophy, his own style.”
Nico Elvedi
Swiss defender Elvedi was a stalwart in Gladbach’s side last season and he impressed Farke from the early days of pre-season last summer:
“My first impressions were very good. I think he fits in very well at Borussia. I’m excited for the next few days and I feel great. I’ve heard from teammates that his training sessions are hard work – and I experienced that this morning. But that’s a good thing, the pre-season needs to be challenging. It is important that we are fit for the new season so that we can give it our all once the campaign starts.”
Jonas Hofmann
Hofmann spent time with Farke at Borussia Dortmund, before the manager’s spell at Norwich, before linking up with him again at Borussia Park. He said in the early days of Farke’s latest tenure:
“I know Daniel Farke from my time at Dortmund, where he was the U23 coach at the time. I didn’t experience him as a coach before, but of course we met personally.
“He is a great person, and I am convinced that he will be a very good coach for Borussia Monchengladbach.”
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