Daniel Farke won the Championship twice with Norwich and is now looking to return Leeds to the Premier League.

Farke was a professional football player in his native Germany, playing in the lower tiers. He spent the majority of his career with SV Lippstadt 08, for whom he had three separate spells. He also spent time at SV Wilhelmshaven, Bonner SC and SV Meppen.

He cut his managerial teeth at SV Lippstadt, where he won the Westfalenliga and the Oberliga Westfalen and then moved to Borussia Dortmund II in 2015.

After two seasons at Dortmund, he joined Championship side Norwich City in 2017 and led them to promotion to the Premier League in his second season in charge.

Norwich were relegated back to the Championship at the end of the 2019/20 season, but Farke stayed on to oversee another Championship title and an immediate return to the Premier League in 2020/21.

Farke was sacked by Norwich in September 2021 as the club struggled in the Premier League. Then after a short stint at Krasnodar, where he didn't manage any matches due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he had a difficult season in the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach.

After he was dismissed by the Bundesliga club, Leeds United appointed Farke as their new manager on a four-year deal in July 2023.

Farke's early career in management

He retired from the game at the age of 31, having already begun studying economics in the hope of getting another job in football, specifically as a sporting director. At the time, Farke had no real interest in becoming a manager but he did embark on a coaching course to get a feel of what the role entailed.

SV Lippstadt 08 offered him the chance to rejoin the club as a sporting director, provided he also took on the role of head coach for the final games of the season. It was a fantastic appointment by his former club and the dual role became a long-term arrangement, lasting six years.

He led SV Lippstadt from the sixth tier to the fourth tier and is regarded as the most successful coach in the club's history.

Upon stepping down, he had planned to take a year's sabbatical but then accepted the opportunity to take charge of Borussia Dortmund II. His time at Dortmund was also a success as he led a team that were near the relegation zone to a fourth-place finish in the Regionalliga West in his first season.

In Farke's second season in charge, his Dortmund team went two places better and finished second, only losing three games all season.

Getting settled at Carrow Road

After failing to agree a new contract at Dortmund, Norwich came calling and he was appointed their manager in May 2017.

This was after being sounded out by Norwich sporting director Stuart Webber, who had previously worked at Huddersfield Town, where he had appointed David Wagner to the same role. Interestingly, Wagner had been Borussia Dortmund II manager immediately before Farke.

After being named the club's first non-British or Irish manager, Farke's first season at Norwich was a challenging one. However, it was clear he was learning game-by-game about the demands of English football and in particular, the Championship, notoriously one of the most difficult leagues in the world.

His first match in charge of the Canaries was a 1-1 draw with Fulham, a game in which Portuguese striker Nelson Oliveira scored a late equaliser for Norwich at Craven Cottage.

Farke ended his first season with the East Anglian club having recorded 15 wins, 15 draws and 16 losses. They finished the 2017/18 season in 14th position, level on points with both Ipswich Town and Leeds United.

Norwich performed well against two Premier League sides in cup competitions that season, taking Arsenal to extra time in the fourth round of the EFL Cup before securing a replay against Chelsea in the third round of the FA Cup. They were eventually eliminated after a penalty shootout.

Norwich win first Championship title under Farke

The next season, Norwich City went on to win the Championship, with Farke earning plaudits for his managerial style.

Working on a small budget, Farke recruited wisely and brought a fantastic team togetherness to Carrow Road. He got the best out of his players in a short period of time, showing that he truly was an exciting modern-day manager.

During the summer of 2018 they secured signings that would go on to be crucial for the club. The main standouts were creative midfielder Emi Buendia from Getafe, experienced goalkeeper Tim Krul and clinical striker Teemu Pukki on a free transfer.

Farke speaks particularly good English and has a respectful demeanour that rubs off on his players. During the 2018/19 season, the bond between staff, players and fans was evident and they went about their job of achieving promotion together, as one.

After a super start to the season, it was clear that Norwich's ambition was to reach the Premier League and they ended the campaign with 94 points, five points better off than second-placed Sheffield United.

Teemu Pukki contributed 29 league goals in his debut Championship season, while Tim Krul helped Norwich to 13 clean sheets as the new signings shone under Farke.

Farke won Championship Manager of the Month for November, following three consecutive games in which his side scored four goals. Norwich were an exciting team to watch and they completed the season having amassed a total of 93 goals in just 46 matches.

Towards the end of the campaign, Farke was rewarded with a new three-year deal designed to extend his stay with the Canaries until June 2022.

Disappointing Premier League campaign

Confidence was high at Norwich after winning the Championship title the previous year and Farke chose to stick with largely the same squad that had served him well during the 2018/19 campaign.

One player who enjoyed increased prominence was Ben Godfrey, who quickly established himself as a key player for the Canaries having spent a successful season in League One with Shrewsbury Town.

He had featured as a substitute in some of their games in the Championship promotion season, but with injuries to key defenders throughout 2019, he seized his opportunity.

Farke now had a youthful look to his team, having developed players in his first two years in charge. Defenders Max Aarons, Godfrey and Jamal Lewis were already gaining attention from bigger clubs, as was young attacking midfielder Todd Cantwell, who grew up locally and is a Norwich fan.

Teemu Pukki was in inspired form, scoring five times in the East Anglian side's opening four league outings, including a hat-trick against Newcastle United. However, despite this, Norwich could only win two of their first five games and this was followed up with no wins in seven. 

Farke and his team did not give up hope, but the step up in level and lack of investment ultimately cost the Canaries a chance of staying in the Premier League. Norwich were only able to win five of their 38 league matches and finished the season at the bottom of the pile, being relegated as a result.

Even though the club lost 12 of their last 13 matches, the Norwich board showed faith in Farke and the progress that the club had made while he had been in charge. Farke was determined to put things right by attempting to get Norwich City promoted back to the top flight at the first time of asking.

Norwich bounce back to win Championship

Many of the players who had been on the journey with Farke stayed loyal and despite interest from other clubs, decided to fight for redemption.

Ben Godfrey and Jamal Lewis both departed for Everton and Newcastle United respectively, but the Canaries were quick to replace them with the loan signings of Ben Gibson from Burnley and Dimitris Giannoulis from Greek club PAOK.

Having already experienced winning the second tier once before, Norwich proved to be at an advantage, displaying know-how as well as undoubted talent throughout their ranks.

Norwich were consistent all season long and Farke would not allow his team to get ahead of themselves. His mentality of taking one game at a time was working wonders and there was no stopping his Norwich outfit.

Pukki was once again the star man, scoring 26 league goals, with Buendia providing 16 assists and netting 15 goals. Norwich went on an unbeaten run of 13 matches that left them with an unassailable lead at the top of the league. Farke's ability to keep hold of these key players meant that Norwich were once again able to win the league and gain promotion for the second time in three seasons.

Following a second promotion to the Premier League, Farke signed a new contract extension with the Canaries.

However, a run of ten games without a win cranked up the pressure on Farke and he was relieved of his duties on Novmber 6, 2021, ironically after Norwich had beaten Brentford to win their first game of the season.

Returning to Germany with Borussia Monchengladbach

Farke was apppointed heach coach of Russian Premier League side Krasnodar in January 2022.

However, less than two months later he left the club without managing a match due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach named Farke as its new head coach in June 2022 on a three-year deal, replacing Adi Hutter.

But after finishing tenth in the Bundesliga, Farke was dismissed at the end of the 2022/23 season.

Return to England with Leeds

In early July 2023, Leeds announced the appointment of Farke as manager on a four-year deal.

Farke told the Leeds website: "I'd like to thank everyone for the really warm welcome, I'm really grateful at this moment, to work for this amazing club.

"I feel humble at this time, I know the responsibility to fulfil all the expectations and I want to repay the trust shown.

"The most important thing is to create a togetherness and unity within this club again and from today onwards, I will work on it with my staff and players, and I trust our supporters will be there when we need them. I can't wait for the first game of the season."

Director Paraag Marathe added: "After a thorough recruitment process, we are excited to confirm Daniel's appointment as our first team manager.

"His record in the Championship is clear, and I am impressed by his leadership and plan to guide us back to the Premier League.

"We welcome Daniel and his staff to the club and look forward to a strong season."

Daniel Farke's personal life

Farke is married with two children.

He is known for having a great sense of humour and has even compared himself to Johnny Depp in an interview. He said that if Depp can take curses in his movie Pirates of the Caribbean, then he can also do the same and take them in his life.

His coaching style is one where he lets the players express themselves and have fun out on the soccer pitch. His style is reflected by the way he presents himself in interviews, as he can have a serious and knowledgeable side, but also a fun, caring side.

Daniel Farke's net worth

It is estimated by multiple outlets that Farke's net worth stands at between $1million and $5million.