Big Nmecha upgrade: Leeds have held talks to sign “clinical” new striker.
Prior to the Premier League season, Leeds United has made moves to bolster their roster with Gabriel Gudmundsson, Lukas Nmecha,
Jaka Bijol, and Sebastiaan Bornauw.
Three of the Whites’ four new acquisitions are defenders, demonstrating their strong focus on expanding their backline options since
winning the Championship title in the 2024–25 season.
When it comes to choosing his starting back four for the Premier League’s first matchup against Everton next month, Daniel Farke
now has a wide range of quality to choose from.
Other than signing Nmecha and extending Dan James’ contract, the West Yorkshire team hasn’t done anything to strengthen their
offensive arsenal.
When the former Germany international’s contract with his previous team expired at the end of June, Leeds jumped at the chance to
recruit him on a free transfer from Bundesliga team Wolfsburg.
But it’s possible that the former Manchester City youth star, whose brother Felix is now a Borussia Dortmund player, did not come to
Elland Road as a front-line option to spearhead Farke’s attack in the Premier League the following season.
Why Lukas Nmecha may not start for Leeds
Needless to say, Leeds will need to find a lot more goals from within their team next season in order to avoid being demoted back to
the Championship at the first opportunity.
However, if the Whites were to choose Nmecha as a starter every week, they might not find a consistent source of goals in the number
nine position.
The 26-year-old attacker did not appear to be expected to arrive in West Yorkshire as the Premier League number nine they require,
given he only managed three goals in 20 appearances in all competitions for Wolfsburg last season.
Nmecha has only scored more than eight league goals in a season in the Belgian Pro League, and he hasn’t scored more than four goals
in a season across all competitions since the 2021–2022 campaign.
| Lukas Nmecha’s recent struggles | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Games missed through injury | Appearances (all comps) | Goals |
| 24/25 (Wolfsburg) | 8 | 20 | 3 |
| 23/24 (Wolfsburg) | 39 | 4 | 2 |
| 22/23 (Wolfsburg) | 17 | 18 | 4 |
| 21/22 (Wolfsburg) | 9 | 31 | 10 |
| 20/21 (Anderlecht) | 0 | 37 | 18 |
| 19/20 (Wolfsburg + Middlesbrough) | 4 | 25 | 0 |
| 18/19 (Preston North End) | 0 | 41 | 4 |
| Stats via Sofascore & Transfermarkt | |||
The aforementioned table shows that the former Cityzens player has had difficulty scoring goals and staying healthy throughout his
career in Germany and England, with the 2020–21 season being an exception.
Nmecha was a highly rated talent at the time, as shown by Jacek Kulig’s post, but he has failed to kick on, which is why he is unlikely to
be a starter for Leeds next season.
Leeds have held talks with English forward
The Whites are said to be interested in a proven Premier League performer who could come in as a big upgrade on Nmecha for Farke,
though, this summer.
Journalist Graeme Bailey claims that the Championship winners have discussed a potential transfer to Elland Road with free agent
center-forward Callum Wilson.
“Leeds aren’t panicking, they’re letting the market come to them,” the reporter told The Boot Room. In addition to having spoken with
Callum Wilson at different times this summer, they are among the teams who have spoken with Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
These comments from Bailey show that the former Newcastle United attacker, who left the Magpies at the start of this month, is one of
a number of options on their striker shortlist.
If they do decide to go ahead with a swoop for the experienced marksman, though, then Farke could have a huge upgrade on Nmecha
on his hands.
Why Callum Wilson is an upgrade on Lukas Nmecha
Wilson is a proven Premier League player who would come in with almost a guarantee of goals if given enough opportunities to
showcase his quality in the final third.
A mixture of injuries and the generational talent that is Alexander Isak prevented him from getting those opportunities last season, as
he ended the 2024/25 campaign with two starts and zero goals in the top-flight.
| Callum Wilson’s Premier League career | ||
|---|---|---|
| Season | Starts | Goals |
| 24/25 | 2 | 0 |
| 23/24 | 9 | 9 |
| 22/23 | 21 | 18 |
| 21/22 | 16 | 8 |
| 20/21 | 23 | 12 |
| 19/20 | 32 | 8 |
| 18/19 | 29 | 14 |
| 17/18 | 23 | 8 |
| 16/17 | 16 | 6 |
| 15/16 | 9 | 5 |
| Stats via Sofascore | ||
Nonetheless, as the aforementioned table shows, Wilson has scored goals at a remarkable rate during his Premier League career with
Newcastle and Bournemouth while regularly starting.
The striker has scored more than four league goals in nine different top-flight seasons, according to these statistics, but Nmecha has
only accomplished it twice, including during one season in the Belgian Pro League.
When Leeds makes their final decision about who they want to sign as their starting number nine, Wilson, who was once referred to as
“clinical” by Chris Waugh of The Athletic, has been there and done it and shown that he can score goals consistently in the Premier
League.
Given the enormous difference in their goal totals at the highest level throughout the course of their careers, as well as the fact that he
has done it in England and the German gem has not, he would be a significant improvement over Nmecha.
The English striker’s concerning injury history, however, may make the Whites reconsider bringing him to Elland Road, even if it were
on a free transfer.
Leeds cannot reasonably expect him to be available every week and be a consistent starter because he has missed 57 games due to
injury since the 2023–24 season began.
Wilson would undoubtedly be a significant improvement over Nmecha if he could get past his injury problems and start playing
regularly for the squad. The injuries, however, are a serious worry and might force the team to search elsewhere for a replacement
number nine.
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