Leeds United Coach Daniel Farke Praises Summer Signings as “Bargains”

Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has commended his summer acquisitions following their dramatic 4-3 stoppage-time win against Swansea City on Sunday. The 48-year-old, who recruited seven new players after the team’s disappointing play-off final loss in May, expressed satisfaction with how they have adapted to their roles at Elland Road. Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds, Farke stated, “If you look at what we’ve done in the summer, we’ve earnt an unbelievable amount of money with the sale of Archie Gray, Crys [Crysencio] Summerville, Georgi Rutter and Glen Kamara.” Farke’s team is scheduled to host Luton Town on Wednesday, having secured five victories in their last seven Championship matches (W5, D1, L1), a run that has propelled them to the top of the league standings. He continued, “You could argue, we lost a bit of quality and the players we brought in, no-one really heard of Ao Tanaka, for example.” Tanaka, who joined from Fortuna Dusseldorf during the summer transfer window, has proven to be a significant asset for Leeds, featuring for every minute in their most recent nine Championship fixtures. Farke elaborated on the initial skepticism, stating, “They would say Ao who? Where does he play? Second division in Germany, 25-years-old, has he played at the top level before? No. It’s probably not the quality that we need.” He also addressed criticism directed at another player: “I heard some criticism about Joe Rothwell. Not to be good enough to be one of the starting three midfielders for Southampton.” Farke added, “They finished below us, how should he be good enough for us? – he’s proving he is at the moment.” Regarding Largie Ramazani, Farke remarked, “Largie Ramazani – no English club ever wanted him, he was just relegated in Spain last season, he was suspended with red cards and also yellow cards and no-one really believed in his quality.” He concluded by saying, “It looks like, with bargains, we are building a really good team.”