Leeds in negotiations regarding the signing of the “Rolls Royce” defender.

The January transfer window officially started last week and Leeds United they have the opportunity to take steps to step up their promotion hunt.

Daniel Farkeside is currently on top Priority table, one point ahead of Sheffield United and Burnley, and the manager may want to dip into the market to add more quality to his squad, to give them the best chance of getting into the Premier League.

The Whites are fighting for a top-two finish to go straight into the top flight, rather than having to go through the play-offs as they did last season.

Leeds could look to improve the defensive side of their squad in the January transfer window after watching their side slip from a two-goal lead in a draw against Hull on Saturday.

Farke’s men led 3-1 heading into the last ten minutes and Illan Meslier was not to be celebrated for any of the three goals, notably the second goal after seemingly keeping the ball in play after it went over.

Leeds are now reportedly looking to bolster their squad by adding another centre-back to come in and compete with the likes of Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon.

Leeds United are considering a deal for the Premier League defender

According to The SunLeeds United are one of the clubs trying to sign Nottingham Forest centre-back Andrew Omobamidele in the January transfer window.

The report claims the Tricky Trees have made him available for a transfer and want to earn a £10m fee for the player they paid £11m to sign from Norwich City in the summer of 2023, with the Whites now in talks to sign him are.

Sheffield United, who recently lost centre-back Harry Souttar to a long-term injury, are also said to be considering a bid for the Ireland international, meaning Leeds face stiff competition from one of their promotion rivals to secure his signature.

The Sun add that Nottingham Forest would be open to a loan deal leading to a guaranteed permanent deal in the summer, although it is unclear whether they would allow the guaranteed aspect of the move to be triggered until after promotion.

It reveals Leeds are looking at Omobamidele as a long-term investment they could make and want to bring more competition to their current centre-backs, as Rodon is currently the only senior, natural centre-back option on the right side of the pairing.

Farke had the robust, athletic, young, right-footed Norwich academy graduate in his defense when he won the league title with the Canaries in the 2018/19 campaign, with Ben Godfrey filling in at the back that year.

Ben Godfrey shape under Daniel Farke

English national team player, who is set up for signing for Norwich’s rivals Ipswich Town this month, featured in the 31 of the club’s 46 match in that title season 2018/19.

He emerged as first choice on the right side of defense during that campaign, playing alongside captain Christoph Zimmermann, and kept experienced options such as Grant Hanley and Timm Klose out of the XI.

Farke’s way of seeing the game suited Godfrey as he improved his use of the ball. Defender ranked inside top 13% of his position mates in the division for progressive passes (1.17) per 90, and 21% of the best for progressive passes (3.35) per 90.

This shows that he was comfortable bringing the ball out from the back to set up attacks for the team, and with line-breaking passes and carries to get the team up the field.

As you can see in the chart above, the Norwich star was reliable with the ball at his feet and dominant in physical battles with opposition forwards on the ground.

Godfrey, who was once described as Rolls Royce by podcaster Ben Winst, then played a season in the Premier League with the Canaries but was unable to help them avoid relegation.

After that relegation, Everton swooped in to sign him from Norwich for a reported fee of £30mwhich shows that Farke has helped turn it into an incredibly valuable asset.

Why Andrew Omobamidele could be Farke’s next Ben Godfrey

Interestingly, Omobamidele was already on track to become the next version of Godfrey as Germany’s head coach before his ouster in 2021.

Farke was fired sporting director Stuart Webber in November 2021, just months after the Irish defender bowed out in the first team at the end of the previous season.

Omobamidele, whose former coach is Kenny Molloy described it as a “Rolls Royce”shown in the last nine games the 2020/21 season, after injuries to Zimmermann and Ben Gibson forced the manager to help the Yellows secure the league title.

As you can see in the table above, his performances in a pressure environment, in a title fight, at the age of 18 were incredibly impressive, as he dominated opposition attackers in the air and on the deck.

Omobamidele therefore played five times in the Premier League the following season and four of those outings came before Farke was sacked in November as replacement Dean Smith opted for more experience.

The Irish international has had a hard time getting football in recent years, s only 11 games in the league for Forest since his move from Norwich in 2023, but could launch his career by returning to the manager who believed in him at such a young age.

Farke didn’t get the chance to see through his development with Omobamidele, the way he could with Godfrey, and could help him fulfill his potential at Elland Road, and turn him into a £30m – or more – asset in the future.