Leeds United should push to sign Nottingham Forest man and David Brooks as soon as next week | OneFootball

FLW outline two signings Leeds United should be looking to make as soon as possible with the January window now open.

Leeds United and Daniel Farke are among the favourites in the 2024/25 Championship season but they will know how crucial the upcoming January window can be in defining their campaign.

The club have plenty of ambition but will need to match that this month, with the Whites aiming to restore the club’s Premier League status after a disappointing end to last season that culminated in a play-off final defeat. Promotion to the top-flight is the priority for Leeds after finishing third in the Championship with an impressive 90 points last season.

After that saw them narrowly miss out on automatic promotion, squad overhaul was then inevitable, with high-profile departures like Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter, and Archie Gray chasing Premier League opportunities. Optimism remains high despite that, with the Whites looking to go one better in 2024/25 and still maintaining a strong squad with impressive signings in the summer.

The club has recruited smartly in the past, with key players such as Ethan Ampadu, Pascal Struijk, and Willy Gnonto already playing pivotal roles this season, while summer signings such as Largie Ramazani and Ao Tanaka have also strengthened the team significantly in crucial areas as well.

You would imagine that clubs targeting an automatic finish, such as Leeds, Burnley, Sheffield United, and Sunderland, will be identifying the January transfer window as a strong opportunity to source additional quality and depth. They cannot afford to be totally inactive in the market and will know the importance of getting the January transfer window right this time around.

With that said, here we have taken a look at TWO major transfer decisions the club should make as soon as possible now that the market has opened up.

2 David Brooks

A move never materialised for a No.10 in the summer after selling Georginio Rutter, which has left Leeds with a lack of a creativity centrally. That has been an issue in some games this season, proving what Leeds are currently missing as a profile in their squad is a central attacking player that can unlock defences with intricate play and vision.

Another creative player who thrives in the half-spaces and pockets, but one who is likely to be available for a loan or permanent transfer in January, is David Brooks. The Bournemouth attacker can operate as a winger or attacking midfielder, much like Rutter, but is in need of a career move if he wishes to feature more regularly with starts.

Brooks is in and out of favour under Andoni Iraola and seldom features from the start at all, even if he is named amongst the substitutes and brought on occasionally. He is a player who brings a touch of class to any side he features for, whether out wide or in central areas.

What makes him stand out is his playmaking ability, as he’s not just a traditional winger but someone who can drift into central areas and dictate play, as Brooks has that knack of finding pockets of space where others might struggle, making him a constant threat in between the lines.

His vision and ability to thread passes into dangerous areas make him an ideal creative outlet, especially for teams looking to break down deep-lying defences in a low-block, which has been Leeds' most consistent Achilles' heel for two seasons under Farke. In addition to his technical qualities, Brooks has a calmness on the ball that allows him to operate effectively under pressure, often linking midfield to attack with ease.

With the January window now open, many Championship clubs will be keeping a close eye on Brooks after falling down the pecking order with Bournemouth. He has the ability to unlock tight defences and provide the spark needed to turn draws into wins, and that is something that is invaluable to promotion-chasing sides. Whether on loan or permanently, a move for Brooks could be the missing piece for several teams looking to add quality and creativity to their ranks.

A loan with an option to buy would probably be the most sensible decision for all involved, but it is certainly one worth considering for Leeds. Brooks’ dynamic skill-set has been crucial for Championship teams in the past, where his creative spark consistently influences games for the club and his national side, Wales. A move to West Yorkshire could help to revive a stalling career as well.

1 Andrew Omobamidele

Leeds targeted a summer move for Nottingham Forest centre-back Andrew Omobamidele, with reports now outlining that he is available for a loan in January after he has hardly featured this season following breaking through with Norwich City.

A move could be in the offing, be that permanently or on loan, although the latter is more likely. John Percy of The Telegraph is reporting that a few players could leave the City Ground on loan in January, including the Republic of Irish international. He is a target for numerous clubs and was a player of interest to Leeds previously.

His quality on the ball is something which could be useful for Leeds, although signing Omobamidele is almost certainly contingent on a departure or injury issues arising. That could be Max Wöber, but Omobamidele's superior athleticism over the Austrian would be a must and an upgrade for Farke’s backline and perhaps worth having anyway. Leeds lack recovery pace generally across their defence, which the Irishman would evidently add.

A largely peripheral figure in the previous campaign, regular opportunities have proved even more difficult to come by this time around. He featured on 14 occasions last season, including 11 starts. This term, Omobamidele has played in just one match, as he played all 90 minutes of their EFL Cup defeat to Newcastle United back in August.

He is a defender that Farke knows well too, who evidently has an extremely high ceiling, but needs regular game time and refinement to get there. His composure at such a young age is also impressive, with excellent distribution. Omobamidele is also aerially commanding and far too good to be playing so little.

He was hugely impressive for Norwich and a move back to the Championship appears the best bet for his career at this moment in time, be that to Leeds or elsewhere. A player that is adept at many different aspects of a modern-day defender being at the heart of their defence could make all the difference, due to his ability to excel in both a high defensive line and a possession-based system.

Omobamidele’s calmness on the ball, combined with his intelligence in reading the game, makes him an ideal candidate to anchor a defence that prioritises building from the back and playing incisive passes to the line-breaking midfielders. Defensively, Omobamidele is strong in one-on-one situations, with excellent anticipation and timing when challenging attackers, and he is robust physically as well.

His experience from his Norwich days has shown that he is capable of performing consistently at Championship level, and a loan move from Nottingham Forest would give him the regular game time he’s been missing and desperately in need of at the age of just 22, while his speed could see him operate in central defensive areas or as a full-back, which both Wöber and Ethan Ampadu have had to do recently.