The Championship play-off final between Leeds United and Southampton takes place on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Grayson believes Farke’s position at Leeds should be safe even if the club loses to Southampton in the play-off final.
- Leeds’ torrid season saw them just lose out on automatic promotion, but Farke has stabilised the ship.
- Grayson believes Farke has done enough to ensure Leeds’ future success, whatever of Sunday’s outcome.
Former Leeds United manager Simon Grayson does not believe Daniel Farke’s job should be jeopardised if the Whites lose to Southampton in Sunday’s play-off final.
Farke arrived at Elland Road in July following Leeds’ relegation from the Premier League, and having won the Championship title on two occasions before in his career with Norwich City, there was hope that the German would be the man to lead the team to an immediate return to the top level.
The Whites appeared to be in a great position to secure automatic promotion, but a run of only two wins in their final eight regular-season games saw them finish third, with Ipswich Town taking second place.
That drop in form put Leeds under a lot of strain heading into the play-offs, but they secured their spot in the final with an emphatic 4-0 win against Norwich in their semi-final second leg on Thursday night.
The Whites will meet Southampton, who have beaten them twice this season, in the final at Wembley on Sunday, and after losing their last three play-off finals, they will be looking to change that trend.
It has been stated that if Leeds do not win promotion, they would need to generate up to £100 million in player sales, with prominent players such as Crysencio Summerville expected to go, making this a vital game for the team.
Simon Grayson discusses Daniel Farke’s future with Leeds United.
Grayson complimented Farke for his performance at Leeds, especially given the difficult situation he inherited in the summer, and believes his job should not be jeopardised if he fails to deliver promotion this weekend.
“I think you never what’s round the corner or what decisions people are making, but from what I see and what I’ve heard around, the owners at Leeds have been very impressed with Daniel,” Grayson told FLW through Freebets.com.
“He came in, and the summer and first month of the season were chaotic with players going and not leaving.
“It was a mixed bag of outcomes to begin with, but he has stabilized the ship and put them in an incredible position.
“Of course, the expectancy level at Leeds is high, and they were expecting to and wanted to move straight back up, but it is not simple.
“What he’s accomplished will help him, but in football, anything can happen.
“I’d be very surprised if he was to leave Leeds if they didn’t get promoted.”
Leeds United must retain Daniel Farke this summer.
It’s impossible to disagree with Grayson on this one, and it would be surprising if Leeds decided to cut ways with Farke if they don’t get promoted.
There is no doubt that missing out on the top two was extremely disappointing for the Whites, but their 90 points would normally have been enough for automatic promotion, and the players demonstrated their continued support for Farke with an outstanding performance in the play-off semi-finals against Norwich.
As Grayson points out, Farke has brought stability to Leeds after a difficult start to his reign, and if they lose to Southampton this weekend, you would expect him to have them battling at the top of the Championship again next season.
The Whites will face a difficult game on Sunday, but if they can reproduce their performance against Norwich, they will have a good chance of regaining their place in the Premier League.
