Alan Pardew believes intervention is needed for Illan Meslier as Daniel Farke continues to come under heavy pressure at Leeds United.
Despite outscoring every other team in the Championship at least 17 goals, the Whites have been knocked off the top spot in the table, with Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United taking over.
The former Crystal Palace boss has already raised concerns over Leeds going head-to-head with Wilder’s side, and those fears look to have come to fruition following another frustrating result.
After drawing 2-2 with QPR before the international break, Farke’s side were pegged back yet again, with Swansea City scoring a 96th-minute equaliser to silence Elland Road on Saturday, 29 March.
Meslier, who Leeds fans are ready to get rid of, produced a spectacular penalty save in the first half before making two blunders to allow his side to drop two important points in this season’s title charge.
While Pardew does believe any decision will be made on Farke’s future, he feels it would not hurt his chances of staying on at Elland Road by bringing in Karl Darlow for the end-of-season run-in.
Illan Meslier could cost Leeds United promotion after Swansea howler
Calling into talkSPORT [30 March], a Leeds supporter called for Farke to be sacked, suggesting that the team will bottle automatic promotion again, especially if Meslier remains in between the sticks.
Pardew responded: “Daniel Farke is far from a clown. He’s been promoted before, and I don’t think there’s any chance they’ll do anything in terms of changing manager, but maybe the goalie needs to come out.
“With the pressure that’s on him, that isn’t helpful for a goalkeeper, when the spotlight is big-time on him. It might help everyone concerned, even the goalie himself.”
Daniel Farke on brink of sacking after Elland Road disappointment
Football Insider verdict
Farke has one job, and one job only at Elland Road this season, and that is taking Leeds to the Premier League at the second time of asking, with no excuses.
The Whites cruelly missed out last term, being knocked out of the automatic promotion spots by Leicester City and Ipswich Town, and then facing Southampton in the Championship play-off final.
With Leeds falling to second in the table, and Burnley now level on points with seven games remaining, Farke and his team look to be in a similar position to what they were in last time.
Missing out on promotion meant Archie Gray moving to Tottenham, Crysencio Summerville leaving Elland Road for West Ham, and Georginio Rutter being signed by Brighton for an eye-watering fee.
With just one more season of parachute payments under their belts, while another season in the Championship would not be the end of the world, it would surely mean the end for Farke’s time in Yorkshire.
Bottling the chance to be crowned champions in two consecutive seasons is far below what fans expected of him when appointed in July 2023, especially after winning promotion twice with Norwich City.
Alan Pardew reacts to ‘clown’ Daniel Farke sack calls at Leeds over Illan Meslier
