“Goodbye, Canaries. We’ll see you again.”
That parting line from Daniel Farke back in 2021 is suddenly carrying more weight than ever. With Johannes Hoff Thorup’s surprise sacking fresh in the minds of Norwich fans—and murmurs of Farke potentially leaving Leeds United—fate feels like it might be teasing a reunion nobody quite saw coming… but everybody is now thinking about.
It’s no wonder supporters are stirred. Farke didn’t just win games—he made fans believe. His first full season took Norwich from mid-table mediocrity to swashbuckling promotion, laced with drama, flair, and a connection between club and supporters that’s felt painfully absent ever since. That version of Carrow Road buzzed. The football flowed. And the yellow and green faithful felt seen.
So the question now looms: is it time for Farke to come home?
On paper, it ticks a lot of boxes. A young, technical squad? Check. A fanbase desperate to reconnect? Absolutely. A manager who already knows the club, the city, and how to win in the Championship? Done. But football is rarely that simple.
For one, Farke isn’t the same manager who arrived from Borussia Dortmund II with ideas and a point to prove. He’s now seasoned, more pragmatic, and used to operating with higher-calibre squads like the one he’s currently guiding (or possibly departing) at Leeds. And even if the Elland Road side were to part ways with him, would another Championship slog—even at a beloved former club—be something he’d want?
And then there’s Ben Knapper.
Thorup’s appointment—however short-lived—wasn’t just a managerial pick, it was a philosophical one. A young coach, on the rise, embodying a fresh, long-term vision. Farke, at 48, with two promotions and a Bundesliga stint behind him, doesn’t quite fit the profile. And more crucially, neither does a move rooted in nostalgia.
Knapper’s task isn’t to give fans what their hearts crave; it’s to make the right call for the future. Sentiment can be seductive, but it can also be a trap—just ask anyone who’s watched a fairytale return unravel when reality kicks in.
Still, fans can’t help but feel the pull. The last promotion most of them saw in the flesh was Farke’s swaggering 2020 campaign. Since then? Disconnection. Decline. Confusion. In the absence of clarity, Farke represents comfort, confidence, and a shared memory of how good it used to feel.
His own words linger too. “I never had the chance to say goodbye.” You can sense in those words a bond that never really broke, just paused. Whether that’s enough to tempt him back is another story entirely.
If Leeds do swing the axe, the call from Norfolk could be a tempting one—for both sides. But make no mistake, this decision belongs to Knapper. He’ll have to weigh past romance against present reality, and decide whether HMS Farke is still seaworthy… or just a ship that’s already sailed.
Whatever happens next, this is one of those crossroads where nostalgia collides with strategy—and where one man’s choice could decide whether Norwich’s future lies in reviving old magic… or chasing something new.
In other news, Chris Jack gives an update on Stewart and Thornton leaving Rangers.
