Daniel Farke wants to get the job done at Norwich City before dreaming of going up against the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp in the Premier League.
The Canaries return to Championship action at Middlesbrough this coming weekend four points clear, with eight league games standing between them and promotion.
Duels against some of the biggest names in world football, however, can wait until the German’s troops seal the deal in the coming weeks.
“We are not at the destination. That’s why I am not getting carried away,” he said. “Of course, there is little for a coach that is greater than training in the Premier League and matching the best coaches in the world.
“But my happiness does not depend on it. It helps me to have experienced this at a lower level - and to know what it takes to win a championship.
“I was prepared to work at the top level,
“I really wanted that, and over time it feels pretty normal now. The expectation before the season was to improve on last season. Now we have 18 points more at the same stage.
“We are in a fantastic position, which of course attracts a lot of attention. Nevertheless, we know where we come from and what is realistic.”
Farke’s reputation is growing back in his homeland, but in an interview with Dortmund-based daily newspaper Ruhr Nachrichten over the international break, he made it clear a return was never on the cards after signing a new longer term City deal.
“I believe that our project is not finished,” he said. “The contract would have expired in the summer so I have deliberately signed here for another three years.
“The decision felt completely right - and that’s the most important thing for me.
“I have never had a career plan. I have always worked where I can have fun. It is a big task to hopefully make this club a permanent Premier League club in the long term.
“There is a lot going on here. The fans are a bit crazy. Positively crazy, of course. You get used to the focus of the public. There’s even a song about sitting on a horse.
“In Lippstadt, everything took place in a regional context, in Dortmund, the interest was already greater and now I have almost 100 competitive games as a coach of an English second division team under my belt.”
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