Leeds United will need to swiftly appoint their new manager after being relegated to the Championship this year, but rumours of interest in Lee Bowyer should be diverted.
What's the latest on Lee Bowyer to Leeds?
Speaking to the Daily Mail [25 June, page 95] – report via MOT Leeds News – BBC pundit and former Whites defender Matt Kilgallon has revealed that Bowyer is on the club's list as they target a new manager.
He said: "The Leeds United fans need a lift and Farke would provide that. He’s got a proven track record of winning promotion from the Championship. I’ve also heard Scott Parker and Patrick Vieira mentioned, plus a cheeky little shout for Lee Bowyer.
"The fans would love someone like Bowyer, but it’s looking like it could be Farke. I’ve been speaking to Grant Hanley, my old Blackburn team-mate who played under Farke at Norwich. Grant said he’s an excellent manager and a top bloke too, so Farke would be a good shout."
The former Birmginham City boss was dismissed from his duties almost exactly one year ago and has been out of work ever since, and with Daniel Farke the frontrunner, the German is surely the man for the job.
Should Leeds appoint Lee Bowyer?
Although Bowyer has Championship experience with Birmingham and scored 51 goals across 256 matches for Leeds during his playing career as a centre-midfielder, it could be argued that Farke's success in leading Norwich City to the big time on two occasions minnows the argument in favour of Bowyer.
The 46-year-old boasted a points-per-match total of 1.14 across his 59 matches at the Blues' helm, and has had his tactics, which predominantly involve a 3-4-1-2 formation, called into question at times. That will certainly not be music to the ears of Leeds supporters after a discordant and detrimental campaign.
Farke, in comparison, has won 71 of his 138 games in England's second tier at a rate of 1.82 PPM, and with a pleasing set-up reliant on high-pressure and swift transitions, he could be the man for the job.
And considering the weight of the seasonal task at Elland Road, Bowyer's appointment be somewhat rash, or even over-sentimental.
Waiting in the wings is a tired and tested second-tier specialist in Farke, who has even been hailed as a "world-class" coach by compatriot and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Former Canaries striker Chris Sutton was left waxing lyrical by the club in 2019 with Farke leading from the dugout, as he said: “I have been shocked in a pleasant way with Norwich City this season, I think their brand of football has been absolutely incredible, I really, really do.
“They have got up playing a brilliant, exciting, attacking brand of football with good players and what they’ve gone back to is the days when i was there and they were developing from within."
It's a no-brainer; the 49ers must act in the best interest of the prestigious outfit and make an appointment to ensure the return to the top flight is instantaneous.