How Leeds can sign an elite-level Nmecha to properly rival Calvert-Lewin

In a summer that saw a raft of Premier League clubs sign new strikers, few deals eclipsed Leeds United‘s capture of Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer.

Written off somewhat after a disappointing few years at Everton, the experienced Englishman arrived with a point to prove at Elland Road, no doubt about that.

14 league goals later, the 29-year-old has firmly cemented his status as Daniel Farke‘s main man, with it looking as if Calvert-Lewin will again be trusted to lead the line across 2026/27.

And yet, considering his prior fitness woes, is that not a little risky? Equally, too, is his current understudy, Lukas Nmecha, really the man to take his place if required?

Why Nmecha isn’t good enough to be the only Calvert-Lewin alternative

If anything, Leeds have weakened rather than strengthened their centre-forward ranks as things stand, with promotion hero Joel Piroe returning to the Championship to join West Ham United.

Of course, the Suriname international had been a peripheral figure anyway last season, but he’d still been hailed by Farke as the “best finisher” at the club.

His exit has then increased the responsibility on Nmecha to provide genuine competition to Calvert-Lewin, the German a solid yet unspectacular signing on current evidence.

The 27-year-old did score six league goals from only ten starts last time out, although he’s never been particularly reliable in front of goal. Indeed, he scored just eight league goals across his final three full seasons at Wolfsburg.

In midweek too, for instance, the one-time Manchester City man didn’t exactly flourish even as Leeds saw off Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup, squandering one key opening in his 83-minute outing.

​​​​​​He also lost the ball eight times from only 29 touches, while failing to fire with any of his three shots on goal. Worryingly too, his last competitive goal for the club came against Birmingham City in the FA Cup back in February.

That should have alarm bells ringing, particularly with Calvert-Lewin still a concern fitness-wise. The 49ers need to dip into the market again before deadline day.

The striker Leeds could still sign before Tuesday

Links to new centre-forwards have dragged on all summer, it must be said, with there an element of surprise that nothing has been resolved at this late stage of the window.

There have been ongoing reports of the club’s interest in Burnley star Zian Flemming, although things have gone a little cold on that front, with the Dutchman still on the books at the Championship side.

Of course, Leeds aren’t exactly desperate for reinforcements following a positive start to the campaign, yet they do appear to be a Calvert-Lewin injury away from facing a real crisis in attack.

Reuters/Andrew Boyers

Well, that might be where RB Leipzig’s Conrad Harder enters the equation, with Sky Sports reporter Philipp Heinze suggesting that the 21-year-old remains on the club’s radar ahead of deadline day.

The likes of Galatasaray and Lazio are also in the picture too, with the pair keen on striking a loan deal with an option to buy. Leipzig, for their part, would accept either a temporary or permanent switch.

LaLiga side Sevilla also making a move of their own for the £22m-rated sensation, with the race for his signature heating up by all accounts.

Leeds might need to be quick, therefore, yet there is merit in this approach, with Harder likely to represent a step above Nmecha as a genuine rival to Calvert-Lewin.

The youngster did only rack up six goals and assists in the Bundesliga last term, although that was still more than what Nmecha achieved in his final campaign at Wolfsburg, netting three goals yet failing to register an assist in 2024/25.

As for 2023/24, meanwhile, Nmecha only scored one Bundesliga goal that year, while Harder was operating for Nordsjaelland at the time, scoring five league goals that season in Denmark.

A spell at Sporting CP was sandwiched in between for the Scandinavian, having racked up ten goal involvements in Liga Portugal during his sole full season in Lisbon.

It hasn’t quite worked at Leipzig, but there is reason to suggest that he might be a more exciting arrival from the Bundesliga than Nmecha, having already sparkled across Europe despite his relative youth.

In the view of analyst and Como scout Ben Mattinson too, he’s an even “more complete” version of Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres, having briefly been a teammate of the Swede at Sporting.

A towering, left-footed striker, the comparisons to a certain Erling Haaland have flooded his way too, with Leeds having every right to be getting excited about this potential signing.

In Nmecha, the Whites secured a useful stop-gap last term, but Harder might well be a step above.