Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke needs to find a way to improve the efficiency of his team’s offence after another game went by without a goal.
The Whites failed to score for the third time in their last five matches in the Premier League when they lost 2-0 to Bournemouth at the Vitality on Saturday.
Either side of a 4-1 win over Newcastle United, the West Yorkshire outfit have only scored five goals in eight matches, which illustrates how ineffective their attack has been.
Too many of Farke’s players in the attacking positions have failed to step up in the 2026/27 campaign, including Wales international Dan James.
Leeds need to move on from Dan James
The former Manchester United winger was selected to start against Bournemouth on Saturday, playing as one of the dual number tens, but he failed to justify his inclusion in the side.
James came off the pitch after 65 minutes with no shots and no chances created for the team, despite playing as one of the team’s three attackers, which illustrates his total lack of impact in the final third.
He worked hard for the team and had plenty of energy, completing three dribbles and winning four of his seven duels, but the end product was not there.
|
2026/27 Premier League |
Dan James |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
4 |
|
Shots on target |
0 |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Key passes |
0 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
|
Duel success rate |
41% |
The 28-year-old forward has not registered a shot on target or a key pass in four appearances in the Premier League this season, which has contributed to the team’s offensive woes.
James has now failed to score or assist a single goal in 23 appearances in the top-flight since the start of last term, and Farke must ruthlessly move on from him when the January transfer window opens due to his lack of impact in the final third.
Leeds teen can end Dan James’ Elland Road career
The German head coach may not have to dip into the market to find a direct replacement for the Welshman, though, because there is a young player in the academy who could take his place in the squad.
18-year-old attacking midfielder Callum Mills has been in sublime form at Thorp Arch this season and has the potential to make the step-up to the first-team in the coming weeks and months.
Farke has shown in the past that he is willing to give young players an opportunity if he believes that they are good enough to play, going back to Mateo Joseph and Archie Gray, as well as the likes of Max Aarons, James Maddison, and Ben Godfrey at Norwich City.
The Leeds manager is currently watching his side struggling badly at the top end of the pitch in the Premier League, and unleashing a goal machine from the academy could be one potential solution for him.
Mills is a versatile talent who would be a good fit for the way that Leeds play because he has played in central midfield, as a number ten, on both wings, and as a striker, which suggests that he could suit one of the dual number ten roles.
The teenage ace scored five goals and provided six assists in 31 appearances in all competitions in the 2025/26 campaign, but he has stepped up his level in the final third this season.
|
Opposition |
Goals |
Assists |
|---|---|---|
|
Stoke City U21s |
0 |
0 |
|
Stockport U21s |
0 |
0 |
|
Crystal Palace U21s |
1 |
0 |
|
Oldham Athletic |
1 |
1 |
|
Barnsley |
3 |
0 |
|
Solihull Moors |
0 |
0 |
|
Liverpool U21s |
0 |
0 |
Mills has racked up five goals and one assist in seven appearances in all competitions this term, and all six of those goal contributions came in his last five games.
The Thorp Arch whiz’s hat-trick against League One side Barnsley in the EFL Trophy has to be the highlight of his campaign so far, as he showed that he has the quality and physicality to deliver against a senior team in a respectable league.
Whilst he can play out wide and as a centre-forward, the English youngster could make his breakthrough at Leeds in one of the dual number ten positions behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin, which is where James currently plays.
His output at youth level, both last season and in the current campaign, suggests that the potential is there for him to offer far more to the team at the top end of the pitch than the Welshman.
Therefore, Farke could end James’ career at Elland Road by providing Mills with an opportunity to step up and take the experienced winger’s place in the first-team squad in the coming weeks.
