Leeds transfers, Archie Gray and Daniel Farke future: Paraag Marathe chairman discusses summer plans | soccer news

Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe spoke to Sky Sports about Daniel Farke's future, the possibility of retaining Archie Gray and what business the club will do this summer. We discussed the topic.

There has been speculation about Daniel Farke's future. Can you please clarify that he will remain?

Daniel was fantastic and I'm excited to be working with him again next season. We had long-term plans and commitments, and there is a lot of work to be done to follow through on those plans. He was a tremendous man, with a steady hand and the right temperament. Considering the situation he was in, he did an incredible job. I am excited to work with him again as a partner and leadership team. He's confident about this season because he's got at least four or five weeks to start doing what he did last year.

Should we sell key players this summer?

We are well capitalized from an investment perspective. We have the funds we need to do what needs to be done. The reality of participating in championships is that profitability and sustainability (P&S) play a significant role. We also inherited a difficult situation, so naturally there will be some compromise. But we have a really good team and not only the outs but also the ins are important. We are looking at potential scouts and players we can bring in. P&S requires some compromises, but we have the investment commitment to do what we need to do.

So, will it cost money to recruit players?

great.

Will Archie Gray still remain a Leeds United player when the transfer window closes?

It's a little early to answer specific questions. I can't talk about specific players right now. If I can paint the big picture for you, here's what we need to do. We will, as always, fully comply with P&S and there are certain compromises we will have to make. We'll go to the planning stage and figure out what steps need to be taken to achieve compliance. All the players have put in a lot of effort for us, but it's too early to say that it's clear that Archie is a great player because things change every season. I can't comment on this yet, but we'll see what happens.

What happens to players contracted with the club such as Jack Harrison, Max Wober, Marc Roca, Brenden Aaronson, Diego Llorente and Rasmus Kristiensen?

We need to sit down with Daniel as a leadership team to figure out how to manage that. Fortunately, there are not as many such situations as last year. We are not in a race against time like we were last year. At this point last year we were 12 days away from finalizing our purchase of the club. We have more time to think about it. Squad chemistry is also important. Which players are right for us, what we want to be, and which players aren't. And this will be considered along with some P&S issues.

What about the development and improvement of the West Stand at Elland Road? Since there is no promotion, when will it start?

We have already earmarked a certain amount of investment to make some improvements to Elland Road. It may not be a brand new shiny toy, but we're making improvements.

As more progress is made, we are still on track and on schedule. It is reported that nothing will happen until they reach the Premier League. But anyway, there's still work we're doing. What to do before you put the shovel in the ground. It requires not only work but also significant investment. Whether we're in the Premier League or the Championship, that money has been put in and we're continuing on that path. If you ask me this question in a year, it might get a little more complicated. Because at that point we might be ready to pick up the shovel, but right now, everything is green.

The accounts show there are approximately £190 million worth of transfer installments to be paid. Could you please clearly explain the amount and explain in detail how and when it will be paid?

The outgoing transfer fee was already taken into consideration during the club's dealings last summer. We inherited credit card bills that we knew we had to deal with. We have made the necessary investments in advance to ensure that we can address and manage the issue appropriately.

Not included in the reported numbers were some revenue payments we had, such as the two January sales of Tyler Adams and Luis Sinisterra. From that comes some inbound transfer payments. The net is slightly lower than already reported. We have what it takes to be competitive and we will build our squad accordingly. We need some outbound because of P&S, but we also need some inbound. We have what it takes to compete among the best.

For P&S, with your fiscal year ending in just one month, are you under pressure to complete your sales and outbound transactions quickly?

Pressure is probably the wrong word. Are we going to do what we need to do to comply? totally.

We've been thinking about all the things we need to do for almost a year, recognizing what trade-offs we need to make and when to make them.

We are ready to take the steps we must.

How important is it to you to get a promotion next year?

Every year is important. This season is very important, but we are more confident because we have more time to execute our plans and make sure our team is exactly what we need it to be. This is also important because Leeds United deserve to be in the Premier League. The Premier League needs Leeds United. It just belongs. The league is better with us and that's where we're going. It's very important because that's what it should look like.