As Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has been at pains to point out throughout the transfer window, there are a lot of factors which must be considered when mulling over a new signing.
Does he represent value for money? Especially in January, when players tend to cost a damn sight more than they would in the summer.
Would said new signing manage to force his way into the team? That is easier said than done when Leeds United are flying high at the top of the table. Would Louie Barry have ousted Manor Solomon from Farke’s XI? Emi Buendia is an elite talent at Championship level, but Brenden Aaronson, to quote Farke, is performing ‘miracles’ in the number ten role.
And while Leeds did show an interest in Nottingham Forest misfit Andrew Omobamidele – they reportedly held talks regarding the £11 million Republic of Ireland international – would it really have made any sense bringing him into Elland Road while Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu and the returning Pascal Struijk can already call West Yorkshire home?
Furthermore, mid-season additions usually arrive under pressure to hit the ground running.
Given that Omobamidele had played only 90 minutes at Forest in the first half of the campaign, it could have taken until late-February or beyond for the central defender to get back up to full match fitness.
Daniel Farke suggests Andrew Omobamidele would not have made sense for Leeds United
“Sometimes, a loan is available. [Bringing players in from] the Premier League is possible but, if the player is available, there is a reason why,” Farke says ahead of the trip to Frank Lampard’s Coventry City.
“It means [the player in question] does not belong to the core group to the 17 or 18 players that are important to his side. There is a problem; Quality, personal reasons, fallout with the manager, just coming back from injury…
“But it means he is not in his full rhythm or full of confidence.
“[For example] the centre-back position. If I loan right now a player who hasn’t played in the last six or seven months, should I guarantee him game time? Should I say; ‘OK, I will drop Joe Rodon or Pascal Struijk?'”
Daniel Farke worked with Omobamidele at Norwich City, handing the 22-year-old his senior debut in a top-flight clash with Arsenal.
Forest would instead agree a loan deal with Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg though and, with one start under his belt already in Alsace, this already feels like the right home for a man who might just avoided swapping the City Ground sidelines for the Elland Road bench.
Farke trusts Leeds United’s current squad to secure promotion
“If you get a player on loan from a top side in the Premier League, you have to more-or-less guarantee game time,” Farke adds. “And, in our position, we can’t do this. Once you have an injury or if you have a problem, you can guarantee game time.
“But not if the team is doing that well, like we did in recent months. To find a loan option who really improves your squad but also is willing to come knowing there’s lots of competition and it will be hard to get some game time, it’s very difficult.”
According to reports, Nottingham Forest wanted £10 million for Omobamidele. Quite a hefty fee for a player who hadn’t played a minute of Premier League football in 2024/25, and who would struggle to get into Leeds’ best XI.
“The only other option [after a loan] is to go for something permanent,” Farke concludes. “But, if you go for a permanent transfer in January – we have explored this a little bit – quite often in January the options are overpriced and it’s too expensive.
“This makes the market in January very difficult. Especially once you are in the position like we are; We don’t have a big problem, we are in a really good position.
“And that is why we didn’t do any business.”
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