Leeds United have moved to add Sebastiaan Bornauw, Jaka Bijol, Lukas Nmecha, and Gabriel Gudmundsson to their squad ahead of the Premier League season so far.
Since winning the Championship title in the 2024/25 campaign, the Whites have placed a clear emphasis on improving their options across the backline, as three of their four signings are defenders.
Daniel Farke now has plenty of quality to pick from when it comes to selecting his starting back four for the opening clash with Everton in the top-flight next month.
However, the West Yorkshire outfit have not made many moves to bolster their attacking arsenal, beyond extending Dan James’ contract and signing Nmecha.
Leeds swooped to sign the former Germany international on a free transfer from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, after his contract with his former club expired at the end of June.
However, the former Manchester City academy talent, whose brother Felix currently plays for Borussia Dortmund, may not have arrived at Elland Road as a frontline option to lead the attack for Farke in the Premier League next season.
Why Lukas Nmecha may not start for Leeds
Leeds, it should go without saying, will need to find plenty of goals from within their team next term to ensure that they are not relegated back down to the Championship at the first time of asking.
The Whites may not find a regular source of goals in the number nine position from Nmecha, though, if they were to select him as a starter week-in-week-out.
Last season, the 26-year-old attacker only scored three goals in 20 games in all competitions for Wolfsburg, which does not suggest that he is set to arrive in West Yorkshire as the Premier League number nine that they need.
Nmecha has also failed to score more than four goals in a season in all competitions since the 2021/22 campaign, and has only scored more than eight league goals in a season in the Pro League in Belgium.
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
As you can see in the table above, the former Cityzens youngster has struggled for goals and fitness throughout his career in England and Germany, with the 2020/21 campaign standing out as an anomaly.
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.
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According to journalist Graeme Bailey, the Championship champions have held talks with free agent centre-forward Callum Wilson over a possible move to Elland Road.
Speaking to The Boot Room, the reporter said: “Leeds aren’t panicking, they’re letting the market come to them. They’re one of the teams that’s held talks with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and they’ve talked to Callum Wilson at various points this summer too.”
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.
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
However, as you can see in the table above, Wilson has scored goals at an impressive rate when given starts on a regular basis throughout his Premier League career with Bournemouth and Newcastle.
These statistics show that the striker has scored more than four league goals in nine separate top-flight seasons, whilst Nmecha has only managed that feat twice, including one season in the Pro League in Belgium.
Wilson, who was once dubbed “clinical” by The Athletic’s Chris Waugh, has been there and done it and proven that he can score goals on a regular basis in the Premier League, which is a huge plus in his column when Leeds decide to make a final call on who they want to pursue as their starting number nine.
He would arrive as a huge upgrade on Nmecha, given the vast gulf between their respective goal returns at the top level throughout their careers, on top of the fact that he has done it in England and the German gem has not.
However, the elephant in the room is that the English striker has a worrying injury history that may make the Whites think twice about bringing him to Elland Road, even on a free transfer.
He has missed 57 matches through injury since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, which means that Leeds would not be able to confidently expect him to be available week-in-week-out to be a regular starter.
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If Wilson can overcome his injury woes to be a regular in the team, there is no doubt that he would be a huge upgrade on Nmecha. However, the injuries are a real concern and may cause the club to look elsewhere in their pursuit of a new number nine.
