Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has been pursuing a reunion with Ben Godfrey at Elland Road, but has met frustration so far. Godfrey played under Farke at Norwich, but his hopes of rekindling that professional relationship were dashed when Everton rejected Leeds’ loan offer.
Speaking in a press conference on deadline day, Toffees boss Sean Dyche appeared to cast further doubt on the prospects of Godfrey moving away as he dismissed external “noise”.
Dyche said: “He did well and his professionalism is that he’s looked after himself and is ready to play. The rest of it is just noise. He’s a player who is super professional in the camp and when the chance has come he’s been ready. I admire players who are not playing and are keeping themselves right. I’ve always had maximum respect for those outside the main team and he’s one of them.”
While Leeds have agreed a deal to sign Connor Roberts on loan from Burnley, Farke seems determined to strengthen elsewhere in defence too, and that’s why he’s after a potential alternative to Godfrey.
Dummett emerges as late Leeds target
According to Football Insider, Leeds now want to sign Paul Dummett from Newcastle before the deadline. Intriguingly, their fellow Championship promotion hopefuls Ipswich are also keen, adding an extra layer of significance to the transfer battle.
However, North East journalist Lee Ryder, Newcastle writer for Chronicle Live, has reacted to the links on X, throwing doubt onto yet another Leeds defensive target: “The reality is…Eddie Howe hasn’t got the time now or the ability to replace, and that’s going to be a key feature.”
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Both the Whites and the Tractor Boys view Dummett, who’s out of contract at the end of the season, as a player who ticks the key boxes as they chase reinforcements for their backline.
Dummett’s time at Newcastle should be up
Dummett, now 32, is a graduate of the Newcastle academy and has now played more than 200 games for the club. This season, however, Eddie Howe has hardly given him a look-in, with his only starts coming in the League Cup ties against Manchester City and Manchester United. Aside from that, he’s had to be content with late substitute appearances in the Premier League against Chelsea and the FA Cup against Sunderland.
The Welshman has been relegated and promoted during his time at the Magpies, and he came up against Leeds twice back in the 16/17 season, picking up four points. In fact, as you can see below, he hasn’t lost any of his four meetings with the Yorkshire outfit across his career.
Season
Competition
Result
13/14
EFL Cup
Newcastle 2-0 Leeds
16/17
Championship
Leeds 0-2 Newcastle
16/17
Championship
Newcastle 1-1 Leeds
21/22
Premier League
Leeds 0-1 Newcastle
While Dummett is primarily a left-back, he’s also featured 63 times in central defence during his career, which means he could be a Godfrey plan-b. It remains to be seen whether Leeds pursue a loan move that would see them cover only part of the player’s £35k-per-week salary, or try to buy him outright instead, but it sounds like the Magpies are going to make it difficult.