Farke is to remain in charge, but the likes of Gray and Summerville may be leaving

Daniel Farke will continue as manager of Leeds United despite the club's failure to reach the Premier League, although the club may have to sell their best players.

Farke signed a four-year deal at Elland Road last summer but Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Southampton in the Championship final at Wembley prompted speculation he could be sidelined.

Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe remains confident, however, that the German is the right man to lead the West Yorkshire club back into the top flight.

He told Sky Sports: “Daniel has been great, and I'm excited to be working with him again next season. We had a long-term plan and commitment, and we have a lot of work to do to achieve our plan. He has become great with a firm hand, the right attitude.

“If you think about the situations he's in, he's doing a great job. I'm excited to be back at it with him as a partner and our leadership team. I feel confident about this season because at least we started four or five weeks from what we had last year.”

Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe said Daniel Farke will continue to be the manager of the club but he will have to make sacrifices to comply with the Profit and Sustainability rules ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/UnxnaRNCRX

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 29, 2024

What about the players?

The situation is not clear for Leeds with a few top players such as Crysencio Summerville and Archie Gray who will attract the attention of Premier League clubs.

When asked if the players will be sold, Marathe added: “We are well funded in terms of investment. We have the money we need to do what we need to do. The reality of being in the Competition is that Profitability and Sustainability (P&S) plays a role.

“We also inherited a challenging situation, so naturally there will be trade-offs. But again, we have a really good team, and it's not just about going out, but going in as well. We are looking at scouting opportunities and players we can bring in. We will have to make some changes because of P&S but we are willing to invest to do what we need to do.”

Gray, 18, is reportedly a target for Arsenal, Liverpool and Bayern Munich after a fine season and, as a homegrown player, could help balance the books if he continues.

Marathe said: “I can't talk about specific players right now. If I can paint you a big picture, there are some things we need to do and we're going to make sure we're fully aligned with P&S as we always have been, and there are some trade-offs we have to make.

“We will go to the drawing board and see what moves we need to make to make sure we comply.” It's too early to say, obviously Archie is a great player, like all the players who have put in a lot of effort for us, but each season brings change. I can't comment on it but we will see what happens.”

How many parachute payments have Leeds left?

Leeds were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2022-23 season and have two years of parachute payments left.

Marathe knows that there is only a small window to go back before the big cuts.

“Every year is critical,” he said. “This season is serious but I am very confident because we have a lot of time to make our plan and make sure that our squad looks the way it should look.

“It is also important because Leeds United deserve to be in the Premier League. The Premier League needs Leeds United in it – it's just for you. The league is better when we're in it and that's where we're going. It's important because that's how it should look.”