Leeds United have started the 2025/2026 Premier League season strongly, picking up four points from their first three games.
They have kept clean sheets in two games, yet lacked any significant cutting edge up front.
In an attempt to address these issues, they have turned to a trio of offensive signings.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Noah Okafor, and Lukas Nmecha make up the three and will be looked towards to bring firepower to the Leeds side.
Calvert-Lewin and Nmecha were smartly recruited for free, whereas Okafor came in for an initial €19m from AC Milan.
This team analysis piece will closely examine the Yorkshire side’s new signings, considering what they could bring to the club and whether they have the potential to provide the goals required to avoid the dreaded relegation.
Leeds United Current Squad 2025/2026
Before analysing the new Leeds transfers, it’s important to consider what the Whites lacked going into pre-season.
In terms of attacking options, Leeds United had the following:
Dan James, Wilfried Gnonto and Jack Harrison as wingers, as well as Joel Piroe at striker.
Daniel Farke typically plays a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3.
Whatever he chooses, he requires three forwards at least on the pitch, meaning six or seven are required for good squad depth.
Clearly, the lack of strikers initially stands out in terms of depth.
Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin are both typical centre-forward options that have been brought in, leaving them now with three solid choices.
Okafor will instead provide them with more depth on the wings, and his acquisition now gives them four wingers for two spots.
Having two spots per position is almost pivotal in the modern game, and they have now accomplished this.
Leeds United Premier League Quality
Looking at the current options, all three at the club last year performed well in the EFL Championship.
However, how do they fare in the top flight?
Dan James scored two goals and made one assist in 24 Premier League games during his last season in the division, back in 2022/2023.
Gnonto managed two goals and four assists in 24 games, also in the same season, while Piroe has never played in the top flight.
Even Jack Harrison at Everton managed just one goal last season in the Premier League.
This is clearly alarming.
Last season, the three sides relegated were also the three lowest scorers, and only one player from all those teams managed over 10 goals.
To stay up this year, Leeds will need proven goals, and this has clearly been a target in their recruitment.
Below, we will consider whether the options brought in could offer that.
Leeds United Transfers 2025/2026: Strengths
Clearly, looking at the statistics, Leeds United need more quality up front this season.
So, what will each bring?
Dominic Calvert-Lewin Scout Report At Leeds United 2025/2026
Firstly, Dominic Calvert-Lewin is an exceptional target man, proven at the Premier League level.
He is the definition of a handful and ensures that no opposition has an easy game.
The video below shows a great example of how he plays when at his best.
With his back to goal, he can easily outstretch defenders.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) September 1, 2025
He also thrives in the air, as his aerial duels statistic shows.
Last season, he averaged 4.75 aerials won per 90, putting him in the 93rd percentile of top-five league centre-forwards.
He therefore naturally suits a side with wingers who prefer to play the ball into the box.
In this sense, he could be massively suited to Dan James and Jack Harrison.
Even when he is not scoring, his aerial ability and back-to-goal strengths provide a brilliant outlet.
Leeds will be under extreme pressure in many games this year, and having a long-ball outlet is essential.
He lacks in other areas of his game and is slightly one-dimensional in his play, hence his weak numbers for passing and dribbling.
Lukas Nmecha Scout Report At Leeds United 2025/2026
Lukas Nmecha is another great team player.
He possesses top-level physical attributes.
At 6’1, he brings strength and height, not at the expense of speed and agility.
He makes regular deep runs in behind, causing issues for defenders throughout the 90.
He clearly shares Calvert-Lewin’s exceptional aerial ability but is less of a typical profile and more of a modern forward.
He likes to drop deep and link play, which is arguably part of the reason his goal statistics are not overly impressive.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) September 1, 2025
This is evident in his statistics, which highlight his tendency to lack touches in the opposition penalty area, but contribute significantly in terms of dribbles completed and dangerous passes.
Last season, he had a 50% take on percentage, which put him in the 82nd percentile, and drew 3.28 fouls per game.
This side of his game could work well with Leeds’ transitional approach, with a priority on counterattacks.
Having a forward that can drop deep and carry from the middle third into the attacking zones could be very effective, and in this sense, he is bringing something that the current striker, Piroe, does not possess.
Similarly to Calvert-Lewin, he isn’t a high-level finisher.
When he does score, it tends to be down to his positioning, which is dangerous around the penalty area.
Noah Okafor Scout Report At Leeds United 2025/2026
Lastly, Noah Okafor is the most fluid and technically impressive signing.
Whilst the other two will bring physicality and power, Okafor will instead offer technicality and flair.
The forward plays best off the left-hand side and will compete with Gnonto for his place in the team.
He is an excellent dribbler and uses his speed to create opportunities out of low-risk situations.
In last season’s Serie A, he made 5.55 progressive carries, 2.78 successful take-ons, and 10.7 progressive passes per 90 minutes.
An example of his talent for dribbling can be seen in the clip below.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) September 1, 2025
As the graph recognises, he also contributes heavily off the ball and is a very hard worker, something that the Elland Road crowd will much appreciate.
His biggest issue in recent times, and the reason he is out of favour at Milan, is his inconsistency.
This is in the sense of his all-around game and his goal contribution output.
His expected goals contrast largely with his actual output, highlighting how he should be contributing more.
However, this also highlights his ability to get into dangerous scenarios, and if he improves his final ball, he could be a real threat for Leeds United.
Leeds United Transfers 2025/2026: Weaknesses
Goalscoring Ability
Nmecha scored 21 goals in 41 games for Anderlecht once but just 19 goals in 73 games for VFL Wolfsburg, his last club.
Calvert-Lewin had 71 goals in 273 games for Everton.
In his best season, he managed 16 Premier League goals; however, this was in 2020/2021.
Most recently, Calvert-Lewin averaged just 0.06 goals per shot, which put him in the 3rd percentile of forwards.
Noah Okafor once scored 34 times for RB Salzburg, but more recently, he has played 56 times for AC Milan and four times for Napoli, scoring a measly seven goals.
This spells the main issue in Leeds’ signings.
All of the forwards are capable of scoring and have shown this, but recent form is concerning.
Last season, the three players made a combined 69 appearances, yet scored just seven goals between them.
The season before this, they scored a combined 16 goals in 79 matches.
This includes cup games against lower-tier opposition.
To make matters worse, all of these forwards underperformed their expected goals by a combined 5.87 points overall last season.
All these players have historically shown great abilities in front of goal, but they are all arriving after periods of relatively poor form.
Daniel Farke clearly believes he can create momentum and boost the team’s records, but this will surely be a huge task in a relegation battle in the world’s hardest league.
Chances will be few and far between, and the team will have to be clinical and make the most of what they get.
Fitness Concerns
Other than a lack of goalscoring credibility, the main concern with these signings is their injury records.
Calvert-Lewin and Nmecha have each missed over 50 games in the last three seasons.
Okafor is sidelined less often, but he still has a track record of small muscle injuries that keep him out.
In football, availability is the best ability.
Over a 38-game season in the Premier League, clubs can not afford their forwards to each miss 10 games or more.
Sadly, this figure of 10 could be the lowest possible number of matches each player could miss.
Conclusion
In Okafor, Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin, Leeds United have clearly brought in footballers with a lot of ability.
All have played at the top level and done well once there.
They have also importantly recruited a range of profiles.
Okafor brings speed and flair, Calvert-Lewin brings physicality and goals, and Nmecha will add his ball-carrying and link-up expertise.
In our opinion, Okafor is the best signing, bringing huge talent and potential to improve.
However, there are huge red flags in the other two signings that must be recognised.
In a league as cutthroat as the Premier League, even minor mistakes are punished.
The most alarming signs are the huge fitness concerns and historical records of missing games.
After this, the recent goalscoring records are certainly not impressive, again, particularly in the two strikers.
If Leeds United are to survive this year, they will likely have to resolve both issues.
Doing this in the current relentless slate of games is definitely a big task for Daniel Farke, but one that will be interesting to watch unfold as the season develops.
