O'Rourke: Daniel Farke to snub offer from Jose Mourinho’s new club
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(Credit: Imago)
Pete O'Rourke, Transfer Correspondent
Fri 19 September 2025 16:41, UK
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke did not consider a move to Benfica prior to the appointment of the returning Jose Mourinho.
The “Special One” had been on the radar of several Premier League clubs after he was sacked by Fenerbahce on 29 August.
Sources told Football Insider that Mourinho was on the shortlist to replace Nuno Espirito Santo at Nottingham Forest before former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou took up the reigns.
Football Insider exclusively revealed on 17 September that Mourinho was also thought of to replace Graham Potter at West Ham following the Englishman’s appalling start to the 2025-26 campaign.
As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the appointment of the Portuguese at Benfica ended the links between the club and Leeds boss Farke who was one of the options the Lisbon giants were considering.
Credit: Imago
Football Insider revealed that on 14 September Leeds would target a wide attacker rather than a striker in the January transfer window.
This highlighted the board’s financial backing of the German manager despite a mixed start to the 2025-26 Premier League campaign which ruled out a previously possible move to the Portuguese side.
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Speaking on the Inside Track podcast over Farke’s commitment to the Peacocks, I explained: “No, I don’t think there was any real possibility that Daniel Farke would have walked out on Leeds despite those links with potential move to Benfica.
“Farke is all in at Leeds right now.
Credit: Imago
“Obviously, there was a bit of rumours earlier in the summer that maybe Leeds could move on from Daniel Farke, but they’ve stuck with the German and they’ve backed him in the transfer market as well.”
Sources told Football Insider on 12 September that Leeds have turned their attention to Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta to bolster their shoddy attacking front line in the January transfer window.
Goals have proved to be an issue for the Whites who have only scored one goal in their first four matches in the English top-flight.
Lukas Nmecha’s solitary spot-kick highlights a major flaw of Farke’s system as they contend with adapting to the Premier League following success in the Championship in 2024-25.
The German has failed on multiple occasions with Norwich City in the top-flight which has tarnished his reputation.
Relegation back to the second-tier could see the Leeds board grow impatient with the Peacocks’ boss who is in desperate need for new signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin to start finding the back of the net.