Daniel Farke ‘agrees’ new Leeds contract until 2029 in principle, says report

Leeds United have reached a broad agreement in principle with Daniel Farke over a new contract, according to a report by The Athletic. The proposed deal is said to run until 2029. Nothing has been formally signed, and the club declined to comment when approached about the claims. Even so, the report suggests the Daniel Farke contract saga that has hung over the season is close to being resolved.

Farke’s current terms expire next summer, and the German has repeatedly declined to discuss the subject in public, insisting it is not something that concerns him. Senior figures at Elland Road have been more open about the direction of travel. Managing director Robbie Evans said in September that “good chats” had taken place and that all parties were “on the same page” about long-term goals. Chairman Paraag Marathe, meanwhile, described Farke as “a big part of our future” back in June.

Farke himself said in May that he wanted the club to match his ambition. He described the aims he set out on his appointment in 2023 – Championship promotion and Premier League survival – as “job done”.

Evans also explained last month why an agreement had taken time to reach. “Extensions might feel like they are relatively straightforward, because you’re both at the same company already, but I think of them as being quite difficult, even more than first-time signings,” he told reporters. “We have the time to get it right as far as what he wants and what we want, and to deliver on that long-term project. Ethan’s deal took over a year. I wouldn’t read into it taking us some time as a problem.”

Daniel Farke contract: the numbers behind the deal

The numbers behind the club’s thinking on the Daniel Farke contract are striking. As things stand, Farke holds a 49.36 per cent win ratio across his 156 games in charge. That is a better return than both Marcelo Bielsa and Howard Wilkinson managed at Leeds. At three years and three months in post, he is also the third-longest serving manager at a Premier League club. Only Mikel Arteta at Arsenal and Unai Emery at Aston Villa have been in place longer.

What the reported deal means for the run-in

News of the Daniel Farke contract agreement comes at a useful moment. Leeds sit seventh in the Premier League table heading into the weekend, having lost only one of their first six games. On Sunday they welcome Manchester United to Elland Road in one of the fixtures of the season. A settled future for the manager would remove one distraction before the biggest home match of the campaign so far.