Leeds admire “outstanding” Farke favourite who’d be perfect for Struijk

Leeds United return to action in the Championship this weekend as they prepare to host Sheffield Wednesday at Elland Road in a Yorkshire derby on Sunday.

The Whites know that securing all three points will keep them at the top of the table as they go in search of automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the second time of asking.

Daniel Farke’s side beat League Two side Harrogate 1-0 in the third round of the FA Cup last time out, whilst their last Championship game ended in a 3-3 draw with Hull.

The West Yorkshire outfit have drawn their last two games in the division, to Hull and Blackburn, and will know that they will have to return to winning ways if they want to maintain their spot in the automatic promotion places.

The January transfer window has been open for more than two weeks and Leeds could look to dip into the market to ensure that they have the best possible chance of achieving their goal of promotion in the second half of the season.

In fact, the Whites are reportedly looking to add more quality to the group and, now, have their eyes on a centre-back from the Premier League.

Leeds keen on Premier League defender

According to The Telegraph, Leeds are one of the teams interested in a possible deal to sign Nottingham Forest central defender Andrew Omobamidele this month.

The report claims that the West Yorkshire side and Championship rivals Sheffield United both ‘admire’ the Ireland international, although it remains to be seen whether or not they are going to formalise that interest with a genuine offer for his services.

It states that Nottingham Forest are open to moving on some of their players in the January transfer window and that the Irish titan is one of the duds who could be on the chopping block, amid interest from home and abroad.

The Tricky Trees signed the defender from Norwich City in the summer of 2023 in a reported deal that could be worth up to £20m, including add-ons, and it remains to be seen how much of that they would want to recoup from any sale.

It was previously reported, by The Sun, though, that the Premier League side would be interested in doing a deal that would see the centre-back go out on loan with an obligation for the deal to become permanent in the summer, which could work for Leeds if the guarantee is conditional on them achieving promotion.

Farke does, of course, already have two first-choice central defenders in his Leeds squad this season, and one of them has been a standout star for the Whites.

How Leeds United’s centre-backs have performed this season

Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk have been the first-choice pairing for the Whites at the heart of the defence, as they were for the first half of the 2023/24 campaign before the Dutchman’s injury.

After returning from injury to start regularly again this term, the former Ajax man has enjoyed a terrific season in the Championship on the left side of the defence.

Struijk has helped the team to keep 13 clean sheets in 24 appearances in the second tier and is yet to make a single error that has led to a shot, goal, or penalty to the opposition.

The same, unfortunately, cannot be said of Rodon in the right-sided centre-back role. He has already made two errors that have led to shots or goals for the opposition and given away a penalty, bringing Josh Sargent down against Norwich in a 1-1 draw at Carrow Road.

As you can see in the table above, Struijk has outperformed the Wales international as an out-and-out defender, with fewer errors and more defensive interventions to prevent Illan Meslier from being worked each match.

This suggests that Leeds, if they want to sign a player in that position, should be looking for a centre-back who can play on the right and partner Struijk, which is why Omobamidele would be perfect for the Dutchman.

Why Leeds should sign Andrew Omobamidele

Firstly, Farke already loves the Ireland international. The German head coach made the brave decision to bring the 18-year-old into the starting line-up as Norwich closed out the Championship title in the 2020/21 campaign, starting eight of his nine appearances.

He also handed the teenage titan his Premier League debut in the 2021/22 season, but was sacked by the Canaries before getting the chance to develop him further, and this shows that the Leeds boss already knows and rates the centre-back highly.

This means that Omobamidele, who was hailed as “outstanding” by former teammate Grant Hanley, could slot straight in and hit the ground running, as he already has the trust of the manager and knows the style of play, as well as how to win a Championship title.

The 22-year-old colossus has only played 11 times in the Premier League since the start of last season and, given his lack of minutes, he needs to get back to playing regular football to recapture the form he showed at Norwich earlier in his career.

As you can see in the table above, Omobamidele was an incredibly dominant defender who did not allow attackers to get the better of him on the ground or in the air very often in Farke’s last title-winning season in the Championship.

These statistics suggest that the potential is there for him to be an upgrade on Rodon, due to having a higher duel success rate on the ground and in the air whilst also making more defensive interventions per game in comparison to the Welshman this term, if he can get back to those levels under the German boss.

As a right-footed player, Omobamidele would also perfectly slot into that position on the right side of the defence and offer balance next to the left-footed Struijk, who could love to play next to a dominant defender who does not make mistakes on a regular basis.

It would be a gamble, given his lack of minutes of late, but it is one that could be worthwhile when you consider his relationship with Farke and his previous form under the head coach, as he could come in to be a perfect partner for Struijk and great competition for Rodon in the second half of the season.