Ethan Ampadu did not need assurances on Daniel Farke’s future to sign his new Leeds United contract last week, but intimated ‘everyone wants’ to see the manager continue at Elland Road.
Last Thursday, the captain signed a new contract which expires in 2030. While the deal was announced when he was on international duty with Wales, on Monday, he returned to West Yorkshire for a series of interviews about the contract.
Ampadu was the first arrival of Farke’s tenure in July 2023 and he has been a mainstay in the team ever since, graduating to captain one year later.
Farke’s contract at Elland Road expires next summer.
When asked if he sought any assurances on the German’s next steps before committing his own future to the club, Ampadu said: “His conversations are separate to mine.
“It’s one I feel is the best. For me, making my decision, everything else influences, but making my decision was based on me.
“I am very grateful for everything Daniel has done for me and, for the club to progress, that’s what everyone wants.”
Farke has a year remaining on his Leeds deal (Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
The No 4 was also asked how he felt about chairman Paraag Marathe’s comments on him last week. Marathe said: “Ethan was so instrumental for our whole year, and he’s such a captain on and off the pitch. Everything he does is true leadership.”
Ampadu was grateful and said he felt he had been a good fit for a hard-working city like Leeds up to this point.
“It’s very kind words and I’m very appreciative and grateful for the trust they put in me,” he said. “I feel like me and Leeds have been a good fit so far.
“I feel like I can represent the people well. It’s a very hard-working city, it’s a fan base that wants hard-working players and I like to think I base my game off (that).
“My first thing is to make sure I’m hard working. I am always trying to be the hardest worker on the pitch and give my all. That is a nice fit and to hear those words is obviously very special.”
With a commitment to 2030, Ampadu wants to see Leeds continue to progress up the Premier League. He was asked how he felt about eventually leading United back into European competitions.
“That’s the end goal, that’s what we want to do, that’s what we’re all striving for,” he said. “There’s a lot of hard work to get us to that point, which we’re all aware of and we’re all relishing. It’s definitely something we should enjoy trying to do.”
It is no secret Leeds tried to sign Harry Wilson on the final day of last summer’s transfer window. Wilson is team-mates with Ampadu for Wales and the latter was asked if he has been trying to sell Leeds to the forward, whose Fulham contract expires at the end of this month.
“(I’m) trying to sell it to everyone,” he said, smiling. “It’s a pretty easy sell. Everyone knows how special a place Leeds is, but whenever we get asked how our time is at Leeds, when we’re with Wales, we speak about it so glowingly.”