Revealed: Why Daniel Farke is backing Mikel Arteta to deliver after £1billion spending spree

Daniel Farke joked this week that he would need two decades at Leeds United to spend the staggering £1billion that Mikel Arteta has splurged at Arsenal.

But the German believes his Gunners counterpart could finally win the Premier League this season, saying it would be the “icing on the cake.”

Arteta’s hijacking of Tottenham’s move for Eberechi Eze in a £67.5million swoop is set to take his spending as Arsenal boss past the £1billion mark.

Although Arteta has failed to win a trophy in the past five seasons, Farke has backed the Spaniard ahead of Leeds’ trip to the Emirates today.

 

 

The Whites boss insisted: “Mikel has done an outstanding job.

“I remember during my time at Norwich when there was the change of management at Arsenal and Mikel was appointed in 2019.

 

 

“He had a team who played very differently in comparison to what they have delivered in recent years.

“I can remember my first chat with Mikel after he took over a difficult situation.

“He said ‘Daniel, at least they’re starting to run and work a little bit!’

 

 

“But look how well Arsenal have done in recent years – they dominate so many games and at times they’re unplayable.

“It’s just about making the final step to win some trophies but you can’t underestimate the work that Mikel has done.

“He's done an incredible job to make them that consistent at the top level.

“The title would be the icing on the cake and it would definitely be deserved for the hard work and the foundation he has created in recent years. He should be pretty proud.”

Read: How Leeds United can buck an unwanted trend after first Premier League win

Farke has spent over £86million on nine new signings this summer, with Noah Okafur in line for a potential debut against Arsenal following his arrival from AC Milan.

The Leeds manager defended Arteta’s huge spending during his reign, adding: “It’s an impressive sum but if you spend many years at one club it’s more likely that you can reach these sums.

“I would be quite pleased if one day I could speak about spending such a sum for Leeds United but that would probably mean I would have to stay here for two decades!”

Trying to stop Arsenal represents a mountainous task for a Leeds side who marked their Premier League return with a 1-0 win over Everton on Monday night.

 

 

Nevertheless, Farke and his men head to the capital in good spirits and determined to continue the feelgood factor created by Leeds’ promotion last season.

Farke enthused: “I feel pretty humble and grateful to be allowed to work for such an amazing club with a fanbase who are second to none.

“They care about the club, it means so much to them, and as a manager you want to work for a club where it really matters.

“It’s a pretty good feeling but it comes with responsibility and pressure sometimes.

“I love how emotional our supporters are and how positive and crazy they are.”

Farke was given a reminder of the expectation levels at Leeds when they played hated rivals Manchester United in Stockholm at the start of pre-season.

Michael Regan/Getty Images

He said: “When we arrived outside our hotel, three or four supporters were shouting ‘Daniel, what do you think to our chances of not just staying in the league but of winning the title?’

“One of them was just asking for the Champions League!

“That’s part of the job as Leeds United manager as they are always a bit over-emotional and thinking two or three steps ahead.

“But it’s also what you quite like so it’s important to keep your feet on the ground and not to lose the focus on what’s really important.

“The reality is it will be a long and tough battle to win the amount of points we need to stay in this league but the positivity and the connection is incredible at the minute.”

Farke denied the trip to the Emirates is a free hit, saying: “It’s never a free hit.

“Every game is a chance to win one or three points to reach the points tally we need.”

 

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