Throughout Leeds United’s first season back in England’s top-flight, manager Daniel Farke often relied upon Dominic Calvert-Lewin to provide the goods in the final third.
The 29-year-old netted an impressive tally of 14 goals in the Premier League last term, ending the campaign as the side’s top scorer – netting 29% of the Whites’ total goals.
However, despite his success at Elland Road, the supporters were crying out for added reinforcements within the final third to take some of the pressure off the Englishman.
It’s safe to say the hierarchy answered the cries of the supporters, handing Farke a hugely talented option this summer – but he could already be on borrowed time at Elland Road.
Why Harry Wilson could be on borrowed time at Leeds
After years of failed attempts at securing his signature, Leeds finally completed a deal to sign winger Harry Wilson this summer after his departure from Fulham.
The Welshman netted 10 goals and laid on seven assists for his teammates last term, with Farke’s men seemingly landing a bargain given his availability as a free agent.
He was seen as the perfect attacking option to slot in behind Calvert-Lewin in Yorkshire, but the 29-year-old has seemingly found it harder than expected to hit the ground running.
Wilson has only started one of the Whites’ first three league games of the 2026/27 season, as the likes of Noah Okafor and Brenden Aaronson have been preferred by Farke.
|
Most PL minutes played Leeds forwards (2026/27) |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Tally |
|
Dominic Calvert-Lewin |
253 |
|
Brenden Aaronson |
155 |
|
Noah Okafor |
155 |
|
Harry Wilson |
128 |
|
Lukas Nmecha |
38 |
|
Daniel James |
22 |
Even when the Welshman has featured, he’s struggled to provide the goods – as seen during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup defeat to Chelsea, where he featured for the whole 90 minutes.
The winger was unable to complete any of his take-on attempts during the loss at Stamford Bridge, whilst only finding a teammate with 50% of his crosses.
His four games for the club have seen him register just a singular effort on goal, which has left the supporters demanding more from the forward after his previous heights in the Premier League.
How Farke can unleash his own Raphinha at Leeds
Back in the 2021/22 campaign, there were no complaints at Leeds over the lack of attacking quality, as winger Raphinha consistently lit up the Premier League with his relentless efforts in the final third.
The Brazilian international netted 11 league goals during the aforementioned season, subsequently single-handedly saving the Whites from suffering relegation to the Championship.
It was always expected that the 29-year-old would go on to achieve much bigger things away from Yorkshire – as seen this season, where the forward has already netted eight times in the first five games for Barcelona.
The Whites have lacked a direct attacking threat since his club-record £55m move to Spain four years ago, but that could be about to change should Farke decide to unleash new man Jean-Matteo Bahoya.
He joined the club in a surprise late move on deadline day, subsequently arriving on a season-long loan from German side Eintracht Frankfurt – with a £25m obligation to buy included.
However, the Whites faithful are yet to see the Frenchman in action, as the 21-year-old has been an unused substitute in clashes with Chelsea and Brighton.
Such a decision has left supporters baffled, and rightly so, as the youngster is an electric forward star who could emulate the impact of Raphinha in the years ahead.
His stats from his recent season in Germany’s top-flight highlight his talent and demonstrate why he can be the club’s next top attacking talent if handed the platform to succeed.
Bahoya clocked the fastest ever top speed for a player in the Bundesliga with his 37km/h run last season – which could hand Farke a needed electric threat in the final third.
He often put the end product on his mazy runs in Germany, subsequently ending the 2025/26 campaign with seven combined goals and assists in just 15 league starts.
Such numbers over the course of an entire season could see him emulate the Brazilian’s success at Elland Road and become the club’s next talisman from wide areas.
Bahoya’s ability to create opportunities for his teammate was also evident in his chance creation tally, which saw him create 2.1 chances per 90 – ranking him above 88% of attackers in Germany’s top-division.
The aforementioned figures would be music to the ears of current striker Calvert-Lewin, who too could benefit from Bahoya’s inclusion and add more goals to his tally in 2026/27.
His direct nature, which often ends in a chance or goal, could be vital to Leeds in their efforts to rise up the Premier League table throughout the current campaign.
The Frenchman’s skillset is extremely similar to that of former fan-favourite Raphinha, with his potential selection pushing Wilson further down the pecking order at Elland Road.
