Leeds star Daniel James has fallen out of favor under Farke and could not be sold
Leeds boss Daniel Farke said his players were “extremely motivated” to extend their FA Cup “dream” as their 3-0 win over Norwich saw them visit West Ham United in their first quarter-final since 2003.
Leeds are set for a Hammers fightback
First-half goals from Sean Longstaff and Gabriel Gudmundsson put Leeds in control at Elland Road against Farke’s former club before Joel Piroe’s late effort sealed a hat-trick for the last eight.
West Ham meanwhile reached the quarter-finals for the first time in ten years with a 5-3 final win over Brentford after Dango Ouattara scored a Panenka-like penalty.
Farke said: “Being in the quarter-finals is a big title. It’s been a long time, I think twenty years ago, when we were last.
“It is not clear yet that we have won this cup, but who knows?
“We haven’t had many home games in the FA Cup in the last few decades and with that, we take it as an incentive to be able to, perhaps, write another wonderful history for this club.”
Leeds, who last won in 1972, last reached the last eight of the competition in 2003 when they lost 1-0 to Sheffield United under former manager Terry Venables.
Farke must bring down the Leeds flop which is becoming worthless like Buonanotte
The Leeds defender looks as big a mistake as Facundo Buonanotte on current evidence.
Farke, who insisted Premier League survival is always the club’s top priority, said: “I just have one wish. It would be nice to have a home game. But it’s a blessed situation to be in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
“He still has more or less names, with Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea. So again, we are not favorites to win the cup.
“But we also know that if we have a good day, we can win, especially one game, each game.
“It’s a good feeling at the moment. It’s a good feeling to be back in the big league, in this tournament. We’re definitely motivated to live this dream as long as possible.”
The Leeds star could be sold after the last chance against Norwich
Farke has given his squad a little more time to face his former club, and is expected to be near full strength for the trip to the London Stadium.
That could mean Daniel James has had his last chance to impress, having struggled in the win over the Canaries, with a report from the Leeds Press claiming the winger could be sold this summer.
Indeed, they report that Farke’s call for a change in formation at the start of the season has reduced the Welshman’s chances, and with him currently sitting on £75,000-a-week, the club will look for ways to raise money this summer.
|
Leeds lead the way |
Total salary per week |
|---|---|
|
Dominic Calvert-Lewin |
£100,000 |
|
Sean Longstaff |
£80,000 |
|
Daniel James |
£75,000 |
|
Noah Okafor |
£72,500 |
|
Pascal Struijk |
£50,000 |
James was brought in from Manchester United for £25m in 2021, and has been a good signing, but has started four Premier League games this season with an injury problem.
The 28-year-old has not started a league game since coming off the bench in the defeat to Manchester City, the same time the manager turned the Whites’ season into a back-to-back three.
He’s Jack Harrison 2.0: Farke must not start the Leeds flop again this season
The Leeds United man is on his way to becoming the next Jack Harrison at Elland Road.
The report claims that James’ salary will be a ‘major obstacle’ to finding a marriage partner this summer, meaning the transfer fee is unlikely to come close to the £25m he was shelled out five years ago.
