Leeds United chair Paraag Marathe has quashed any doubts about Daniel Farke’s future at the club, insisting he will remain in charge next season.
Speaking to journalists on Sunday following Leeds’ Championship triumph at Plymouth, the 49ers Enterprises honcho expressed regret over the recent rumours about Farke’s position, saying that he “felt bad” about the speculation that emerged about the coach.
Marathe declared: “I have ended the speculation – he is my man.”
Looking ahead, Marathe shared his enthusiasm for continuity and growth, saying: “My plan was always to come and speak to you all right after the season concluded, and so that time is now, and I want to tell you all that I’m very excited to run it back with Daniel.
“I’m really excited about collaborating with Daniel and Robbie Evans, who we promoted to managing director, with Adam Underwood, who we promoted to sporting director.
“Together we are going to build the best squad we can with every penny we are allowed to spend to compete in the Premier League. I’m under no illusions that it’s going to be easy. I know all the stats, that last season’s three promoted clubs went right back down.
“But we have something that they don’t. We have Daniel Farke, first of all, and a tremendous coaching staff. We have players that believe that the sum of the parts are greater than the individual pieces. We have a community that supports our club, right?
“We have a 28,000-person season ticket waiting list. 28,000 is more than many Premier League clubs actual season ticket list. We have, we have great partners in Red Bull, and now, obviously our front of shirt goes up significantly.
“And so there’s an opportunity for us to take all of that extra revenue, and literally all of that extra revenue, and pour it right back onto the pitch. Is it going to be easy? Of course not. But do I feel that we’re going to be better equipped than the previous clubs. And I think that we have a really great team working together to go and attack the transfer market.
“It’s not something I’m ready to talk about, but that doesn’t mean the work hasn’t been done. We’ve worked on the market plan for at least the last six months.”
Marathe revealed he had spoken privately with Farke, expressing his support amidst the rumours. He praised the manager’s character and overall influence on the club, stating: “He is such a calming force – presence would be an understatement – for supporters, for players, for the club.
“He really has a superpower that way. He told you he was 100% confident of promotion after the Swansea draw. He believed it – and I love him for it. He has that conviction and belief. We continue to stay in touch all the time. I did tell him privately that we I’m looking forward to moving forward together.
“But I just didn’t feel like it was my time to speak just because someone wanted to put put out a rumor or whatever. It wasn’t my place in time to speak at that point. But I did talk to him privately.”
He added: “I felt bad that Daniel and the coaches probably felt they were twisting in the wind a little bit. I tried to do what I could privately. It just felt like to me, I’m going to speak when I have something to say and when the time is right.
“And so, it’s unfortunate that somebody else tried to speculate something a week or two ago, because today was always the moment I was going to speak with you.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk