Daniel Farke proves 49ers wrong as Leeds United decision looms large

In the 2011 film Moneyball, Art Howe, manager of the Major League Baseball team Oakland Athletics, said he could not manage this team under a one-year contract.

When General Manager Billy Beane pushes back on this, Howe says, “It is not easy doing what I do under the cloud of a one-year contract. And a one-year contract means the same thing to a manager as it does to a player… there’s not a lot of faith there. Which is strange after a 102-win season.”

Beane points out that if you lose your last game of the season, “nobody gives a s***”. From a Leeds United standpoint, there are some similarities and differences with Howe and Whites boss Daniel Farke.

Leeds lost their last game of the season in 2025-26, but it didn’t mean a great deal. Survival had been achieved; the job was done. The German is in the last year of his contract at Elland Road. Farke was hired to get Leeds to the Premier League, something he did in his second season in charge.

But the dust on their promotion had not even settled when reports emerged that the 49ers were considering replacing the former Norwich City boss in favour of someone with a better track record in the English top flight – or just another name entirely.

So when Farke impressively kept Leeds in the Premier League last season, the 49-year-old went on the offensive.

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In mid-May, he said, “All the boxes we wanted to be ticked are ticked. It was crucial to steady the ship. Important to reunite the club. Important to work for the long term and the mid term future of the club. We wanted to break the curse this season. This is probably the biggest achievement. We deserve to play in the Premier League. I am ambitious.

“We have spoken about our goals and how we want to achieve it. I am a manager that plays for something. I want something to play for. I’m not the right choice if it’s about maintaining the status quo. I have to be convinced of the project.

“I’m at my very best when I buy into a project. I’m in a pretty fortunate position. The truth is we had one good Premier League season in 25 years. This is the second. It is important that we don’t repeat the same mistakes. You have to develop and evolve and keep going.

“My mission is fulfilled. Important together and sit and speak about new goals. We have to speak about that and the way we want to achieve it. Before I speak about the future, club needs to decide the processes. We will do this internally then we will see what the outcome is.”

Farke added that Leeds’ owners need to come up with a new “three to five year plan”, while stressing he wasn’t interested in standing still.

After the season ended, chairman Paraag Marathe said he expected Farke to be at Leeds “for a while” and that he was not put out by the German’s forthright comments.

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The American said, “My hope and expectation is that he’s with us for a while. So I know that he has got another 12 months. But I think we both have an interest in keeping this going. And so at the right time and in the right way, we’ll have those conversations. And yeah, he’s a big part of our future.”

TEAMtalk have since reported that Leeds are working through the finer details of a Farke contract extension. This would be greatly deserved. Indeed, Leeds have only lost one of their last 12 Premier League games.

According to OPTA, no side have lost fewer times (excluding promoted teams) in the competition in this period since 15 March.

Farke has improved as a coach in the past year or so. Their is less tactical rigidity, something that was outlined with his famous switch to a back five during the defeat to Manchester City last November.

He is more proactive with his substitutes, rather than waiting for the 70-minute mark to look to his bench. Farke tends to tweak his formation in and out of possession, with the Whites now a much more competent defensive unit.

The 49ers largely backed him in the transfer window, splashing big sums on goalkeeper James Trafford and defender Tarik Muharemovic, along with smart acquisitions such as Harry Wilson on a free transfer.

Howe, not the former Newcastle boss, said being in the last year of a contract does not represent much faith. It could be argued that the 49ers did not have complete faith that Farke was the man to take them forward in the Premier League.

He may have proved the 49ers wrong, along with many dissenting Leeds fans. Farke has earned a contract extension, even if it hasn’t been announced yet. It remains to be seen how long a possible deal will be. Football is a ruthless sport. It is understandable that owners future plan and prepare for all possible contingencies. Such is the ephemeral nature of football, things can change very quickly.

After all, tens and maybe hundreds of millions are at stake. But if Farke keeps on doing what he is doing, the 49ers need to show more faith in him and continue to back him for the foreseeable future.

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