Exclusive: Daniel Ogunleye undergoing Colchester United and Fleetwood trials
Colchester United and Fleetwood Town are racing to sign non-league hot-shot Daniel Ogunleye after inviting him on trial, sources have told Football Insider.
The two EFL clubs have both registered their interest in the 23-year-old and will now assess him at close quarters, after Ogunleye’s free-scoring form in the Isthmian League North Division last season.
The free-scoring forward is out of contract this summer.
Ogunleye returned to his current club Brentwood Town in 2023 on a free transfer from Herne Bay, and after 12 goals in 2023/24, he scored 43 times in the league alone last term as the Blues won promotion.
The striker initially joined Brentwood in 2020 from Forest Green Rovers‘ academy before spells at both Coggleshall and Herne Bay, but could now be set for a move up several steps in the football pyramid.
Ogunleye on Colchester and Fleetwood radar after Isthmian form
Both Colchester and Fleetwood suffered disappointing seasons last term, with Danny Cowley’s U’s finishing tenth in League Two following a late-season surge which saw them flirt with the play-off places.
Colchester eventually finished three points outside the top seven after a final-day draw with Barrow, and Fleetwood were even further off the pace and ended the campaign in 14th position with 60 points.
Football Insider revealed on 18 June that Fleetwood’s teenage attacker Reece Wilkes had agreed a deal to join Norwich this summer, and Phoenix Patterson’s move to Stevenage also leaves a hole in attack.
Ogunleye previously underwent a trial with National League side Halifax Town in January, and with his contract set to expire this summer, he could now move up the football pyramid.
Colchester and Fleetwood both in need of Ogunleye’s goals
Although Colchester were sat seventh in the League Two table just weeks before the end of the season, their 52 goals scored was the lowest of any top-half side and is a clear area in need of of improvement.
Colchester were one of several sides keen on signing attacking midfielder Jadan Raymond from Crystal Palace last January, and though Queen’s Park won the race, the U’s could be in for him once again.
Fleetwood scored 60, conceded 60, and won 60 points last term, but with Wilkes and Patterson both already out the door, it remains to be seen if they’ll be more desperate to sign Ogunleye this summer.