Leeds United are expected to appoint Daniel Farke as their new head coach in the next 24 hours.
The 46-year-old German will join a club whose supporters and new owners will hope can secure promotion to the Premier League as he did twice while in charge of Norwich City.
His imminent appointment means Leeds can concentrate on preparing for life back in the Championship after being relegated from the Premier League last season.
Farke is expected to fly into England on Monday evening.
In his most recent post, Farke was sacked by Borussia Monchengladbach in June after finishing 10th in the Bundesliga.
Leeds are still waiting for the club’s recent takeover to be confirmed by the English Football League (EFL) and this led to the delay in Farke’s appointment.
His appointment however is now likely to go through before the takeover is approved by the EFL as the club do not feel they can delay Farke’s arrival beyond the first pre-season training session on Wednesday.
A deal was made in early June for Leeds to be taken over by 49ers Enterprises after an agreement for Andrea Radrizzani to sell his majority stake in the club. That allowed 49ers Enterprises to begin the process of officially ratifying its long-awaited buy-out.
However, waiting for the EFL to give the buy-out its approval meant Leeds began pre-season on July 3 without a head coach in place.
Why has Farke been chosen?
Analysis by Phil Hay
Farke emerged from Leeds’ recruitment process as the candidate the club were set on employing. He became a leading contender in Leeds’ eyes having impressed in the initial round of video calls which whittled a long list of candidates down to a short one.
Farke’s face-to-face interview was strong too and though Arsenal great and former Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira, another of the interviewees, made a similarly good impression, United’s owners-in-waiting swayed towards the German.
Farke has the credentials to secure promotion. His Norwich team won the Championship by five points in 2019 and by six two years later. His possession-based style is a clear philosophy — and one Leeds are ready to trust in.
