Paraag Marathe has provided an update on Daniel Farke's future at Elland Road. Shortly after winning the Championship and securing promotion to the Premier League, the Leeds United boss faced a somewhat uncertain future in West Yorkshire.
The Whites chairman, who is also the president of the 49ers in the NFL and the vice-chairman at Rangers, has backed Farke this summer. Marathe honoured the German's contract, which isn't set to expire until June 2027, while also significantly bolstering his squad.
Showing his support, the American businessman has welcomed lots of new faces to the club. So far, Marathe has forked out about £73m on six players: Anton Stach, Jaka Bijol, Lucas Perri, Sean Longstaff, Gabriel Gudmundsson and Sebastiaan Bornauw.
The Leeds chief also helped sign Lukas Nmecha, who netted the late winner against Everton, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin on free transfers. The newly-promoted outfit have shown no sign of slowing down ahead of the deadline either, with Marathe eager to keep the Whites in the English top-flight.
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Speaking on Sky Sports on Monday night, the Leeds chairman was quizzed on Farke's future. Marathe said: "Honestly, I wouldn’t believe reports. I often say that, when I have something to say, I’m going to say it, and for me, there was one focus: winning the Championship.
"We did it in a way that was the best point total in the history of Leeds United, the second-best goal differential in the 133-year history of the championship, and I would say we accomplished our goals.
"And I think it was literally the very next morning that I said Daniel’s here to stay, so I really don’t want to give any credence to any rumours."
On if he would consider sacking Farke if results took a turn for the worse, Marathe replied: "Honestly, like I said, when I have something to say that, then I’ll say it. My focus right now is really taking advantage of the last 13 days of the window."
Marathe also hinted that more players will be arriving at Elland Road in the final week or so of the summer transfer window. He said: "Listen, history has shown there's always a lot of activity in the last few weeks of the window, certainly in the last few days of the window, and we'll exercise every day that we can
"We are still going to make the best decisions for us, and success is not final, there is going to be bumps on the road. Honestly, it is the courage to continue that matters and so we're gonna do everything that we can to prove this club belongs."
Daniel Farke celebrates with Lukas Nmecha following Leeds United's win over Everton
Daniel Farke celebrates with Lukas Nmecha following Leeds United's win over Everton (Image: Getty Images)
Also speaking on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football show, Farke claimed he wants to 'add some quality up front'. The Leeds boss said: "We are still going to make the best decisions for us and success is not final, there is going to be bumps on the road.
"Honestly, it is the courage to continue that matters and so we're gonna do everything that we can to prove this club belongs. We all know the club has the potential with the huge fanbase.
"They belong to the Premier League and we have not spent enough years in the last few decades in the top flight of English football. We want to change this. We are prepared to be competitive for maybe one, two, three games until the first international break, but we are not prepared yet for a long season of 38 games when the games are coming thick and fast and there might be some injuries.
"So, we need to add some quality up front, but this doesn't take anything away and we feel we can be competitive in the upcoming games and grind out results, starting today."
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