Daniel Farke insisted that he has already moved on from the disappointment of deadline day and that his Leeds side will ‘look to prove the doubters wrong’ with the squad they have.
Leeds failed to bring in the attacking signing that Farke wanted towards the latter stages of the window, with Facundo Buonanotte opting to go to Chelsea on loan instead. before a deal for Fulham’s Harry Wilson fell through at the last hour.
‘It’s fair to say we are not dancing on the table,’ said Farke. ‘But you won’t hear one bad comment from me (about deadline day). My job is to adapt to the reality. I don’t need to feel sorry for myself. We need to earn the right to stay up,’ the Leeds boss added.
And a defiant Farke was adamant that his side will look to use the setback as extra motivation, ahead of their trip to Fulham on Saturday.
‘After we failed to bring an offensive option in, it’s important for us not to be too much of a victim. I’m not too angry that everyone writes us off. Let them (pundits) write us off, no problem,’ said Farke. ‘They say we had the same attackers, plus Rutter, Sinisterra and Rodrigo in 2023. So we will not be big favourites (to stay up). But we will stay humble and we will look to prove the doubters wrong,’ he added.
Daniel Farke has urged Leeds United not to feel like ‘victims’ following deadline day disappointment
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The defiant boss says he is desperate to prove his doubters wrong this season
Leeds will be without Lucas Perri this weekend. The Brazilian goalkeeper has a quad injury that will rule him out for at least the next two games.That means Karl Darlow is expected to start his first Premier League game since 2021 while Illan Meslier is set to return to the squad, with Farke admitting that Perri’s injury played a ‘little part’ in Leeds deciding not to sell Meslier.
There are also minor concerns over strikers Lukas Nmecha, who missed training yesterday after he was hit on his foot, and Joel Piroe, who has a bruised calf. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is expected to get the nod up front at Craven Cottage with Farke confirming that the former Everton striker is in contention for the weekend. Leeds will also make a late decision on skipper Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka with both midfielders returning to training after suffering injuries last month.
