Leeds United made an attempt to sign Andrew Omobamidele back in August from Nottingham Forest, and he’s set to be available for loan in January.
There have been plenty of transfer regrets and ‘what ifs’ at Elland Road in recent history, and the summer just gone was one where the 49ers tried their hand with ambitious moves and missed out on multiple.
With January looming, the recruitment staff ought to be keeping tabs on those that didn’t join Leeds in August that could do with more playing time in the second half of the campaign.
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Leeds tried for Nottingham Forest’s Andrew Omobamidele in August, and he’s available in January
The Telegraph’s John Percy has reported that Leeds made an attempt back in August to sign Nottingham Forest centre-back Andrew Omobamidele, but failed.
A Republic of Ireland international, Omobamidele has found playing time at the City Ground incredibly hard to come by, which is unsurprising under Nuno Espirito Santo, given the form of his first choice pairing of Murillo and Nikola Milenković.
Now, Omobamidele is expected to be one of a few allowed to leave Forest in the new year, amid interest from multiple clubs:
“A couple of players could leave on loan, with Republic of Ireland international Andrew Omobamidele a target for a number of clubs.
“Leeds United showed interest in signing the centre-back in August, with manager Daniel Farke giving him his debut at former club Norwich City.”
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What has Farke and Omobamidele said about each other in the past?
As noted above, Farke was the man to hand Omobamidele a senior debut at Norwich City, and he clearly impressed the Leeds boss when he as emerging at Carrow Road.
Back in September 2021 when Omobamidele made his first Premier League start against Arsenal at 19, Farke was delighted with his display (via 98fm):
“First of all, many compliments to Andrew and also to Christos [Tsolis] for their debut.
“I think they were – for such a young age, and then to be there with their debut – outstanding.”
When Farke was sacked from Norwich, Omobamidele was one of those who paid tribute to him with a touching message (via RTE):
“What he has done for the club is just amazing for the last four and a half years. Personally, he has been great, he gave me my debut and put me in the window to be here for internationals.
“He put his trust in me to play games at the crunch time of last season in the Championship and he’s trusted me to give me a couple of appearances this season and I will be forever grateful for that.”
If Leeds want centre-back depth, Omobamidele is as good as we could get
Farke constantly stresses the importance of signings being able to come in and hit the ground running, and someone like Omobamidele is ideal for that.
He’s not playing much at Forest, but won’t need any tactical input to fit into what Farke wants, having cut his teeth as a youngster under the German at Norwich.
Convincing him to join as backup to Joe Rodon or Pascal Struijk is something of a hard sell, but what a signing that would be.
The relationship he has with Farke is something that could sway it in our favour if we’re keen in the new year.