Daniel Farke has done an excellent job at Leeds United, and the club is now working to offer him a new contract to replace his current deal.
The German’s work at Leeds since joining in 2023 has provided stability behind the scenes, and the owners have backed him, even when sacking him would have been the more popular choice.
It’s a major departure from what a few previous regimes at Elland Road worked like, where managers were hired and fired on a whim of the owner and the hierarchy.
Leeds were not the most stable club while fighting to get out of the Championship, and it is easy to forget how many managers were hired and fired before they struck gold with Marcelo Bielsa in 2018.
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Former Leeds boss reveals he rejected a chance to return to Elland Road
Simon Grayson is remembered for getting Leeds out of the doldrums of League One and getting them back to the Championship
He was sacked in February 2012 for a lack of results, and the former Leeds boss has revealed he had a chance to return to Elland Road later.
Grayson claimed former Leeds owner Massimo Cellino wanted him back at Leeds as manager, but he wasn’t keen to work under the Italian.
“An Italian came in, Cellino, whom I met”, Grayson said on The Managers podcast.
“I was Preston at that time, and he asked me to come back.
“I’d have loved to go back. My heart’s telling me to go back, but my head is going, ‘I cannot work with you’.
“I met him, and Cellino gave him his number. I messaged him the next day and said, ‘Thanks for the conversation, but I am settled at Preston’.
“I got a message back saying, ‘I think you have got the wrong number’.
“I checked that number a million times. He just blanked me.”
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What is Simon Grayson’s legacy at Leeds?
Simon Grayson’s Leeds United legacy is interesting because he arrived at a club desperate for stability and gave them what they had been missing for years: belief.
His biggest achievement was, without question, winning promotion from League One in 2010. Leeds had spent three seasons in the third tier, and Grayson finally got them out, securing the title with a memorable campaign.
He also deserves credit for helping restore some pride around Elland Road. Leeds were no longer simply a fallen giant struggling to find their way. Under Grayson, the club seemed to be moving in the right direction again.
The Championship years were more frustrating, particularly the failure to turn promising starts into promotion challenges. But that should not overshadow what he achieved.
Grayson did not take Leeds back to the Premier League. However, he played a significant part in rebuilding the club after one of its lowest periods, and his place in Leeds’ history is secure because of it.
