Leeds United have moved to add Sebasciaan Bornou, Jakah Bjor, Lucas NMEC and Gabriel Gudmunson to their team ahead of previous Premier League seasons.
Since winning the championship title in the 2024/25 campaign, the whites have clearly focused on improving options across the backline, as three of the four signatures are defenders.
Daniel Fark can choose many qualities when it comes to choosing his starting back four for an opening crash with Everton on next month’s top flight.
However, the West Yorkshire outfit hasn’t made much of a move to bolster its offensive weapons beyond extending Dunjames’ contract and signing Nmecha.
Leeds swooped to sign former German International on a free transfer from Wolfsberg on the Bundesliga side after his contract with his former club expired at the end of June.
However, the talent of the former Manchester City Academy, whose brother Felix currently plays for Borussia Dortmund, may not have arrived at Elland Road as the frontline option to lead Fark’s offense in the Premier League next season.
Why Lukas Nmecha won’t start for Leeds
Leeds, of course, will need to find many goals within his next term.
However, white people may not be able to find the source of their normal targets in the ninth position of Nmecha, but if they choose him as their weekly starter.
Last season, the 26-year-old attacker scored only three goals in 20 games in all Wolfsburg tournaments.
Nmecha has been unable to score more than four goals in the season in every tournament since the 2021/22 campaign, and has only scored eight or more league goals in the Belgian professional league in the season.
Lukas Nmecha’s recent struggle | |||
|---|---|---|---|
season | A game missed by injury | Appearance (all comps) | the goal |
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 (Wolfsberg + Middlesbrough) | 4 | twenty five | 0 |
18/19 (Preston North End) | 0 | 41 | 4 |
Statistics via Sofascore & Transfer Market | |||
As you can see from the table above, former Cityzens youth have been struggling with goals and fitness throughout their careers in England and Germany, as their 2020/21 campaign stands out as an extraordinary one.
As shown in a post by Jacek Kulig, Nmecha was a highly regarded talent at the time, but he failed to kick-on. That’s why he’s unlikely to become a Leeds starter next season.
Leeds held a meeting with English
White people are said to be interested in proven Premier League performers who can come this summer as a major upgrade to Fark’s Nmecha.
According to journalist Graeme Bailey, the Championship champion is in discussion with free agent centre forward Calm Wilson about a possible move to Elland Road.
Speaking to the boot room, the reporter stated: “Less is not panicking. They’re bringing the market to them. They’re one of the teams we discussed with Dominic Calvert Lewin, and we spoke with Callum Wilson at various points this summer.”
These comments from Bailey show that the former Newcastle United attacker, who left Magpie earlier this month, is one of many options on the striker’s shortlist.
However, if they decided to swoop for the experienced marksman, Fark could make a major upgrade to Nmecha with his hands.
Why Callum Wilson is an upgrade to Lukas Nmecha
Wilson is a proven Premier League player who can almost guarantee a goal if given enough opportunity to show off his quality in the final third.
A mix of injuries and generational talent, Alexander Isaac, prevented him from getting the opportunity last season as he ended the 2024/25 campaign with two starts and zero goals.
Callum Wilson’s Premier League career | ||
|---|---|---|
season | start | the goal |
24/25 | 2 | 0 |
23/24 | 9 | 9 |
22/23 | twenty one | 18 |
21/22 | 16 | 8 |
20/21 | twenty three | 12 |
19/20 | 32 | 8 |
18/19 | 29 | 14 |
17/18 | twenty three | 8 |
16/17 | 16 | 6 |
15/16 | 9 | 5 |
Statistics via Sofascore | ||
However, as you can see from the table above, Wilson scored at an impressive speed when he started regularly throughout his Premier League career at Bournemouth and Newcastle.
These statistics show that the striker has scored more than four league goals in nine separate top flight seasons, but Nmecha has managed that feat twice, including one season in the Belgian professional league.
Once called “clinical” by athletic Chris Waugh, Wilson was there and did it before, proved he could score regular goals in the Premier League.
He arrived as a massive upgrade to Nmecha, given the fact that he did it in the UK and that the German gems were not, as well as the vast Gulf Coasts returned at higher levels throughout their careers during their respective goal returns.
But the elephant in the room means that the English striker has a history of injuries that may make a white man think about taking him to Elland Road again.
He has missed 57 games through injuries since the start of the 2023/24 campaign. That means Leeds can’t confidently expect him to make a week of appearances in the week of the week.
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By signing the star this summer, Leeds United was able to seriously bolster their survival bids.
If Wilson can overcome his injury issues as a regular on the team, he will definitely be a major upgrade to Nmecha. But injuries are a real concern, allowing clubs to look elsewhere in pursuit of new numbers.