Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has made no secret of his desire for the club to bring in more attackers before the end of the summer transfer window.
Lukas Nmecha, who joined on a free transfer from Wolfsburg early on in the window, is the only attacking player to come through the door at Thorp Arch so far.
This means that the Whites have yet to replace Manor Solomon, who returned to Tottenham Hotspur at the end of last season, with a new winger.
Farke has made it clear that he does not believe that Leeds have done enough to improve their options at the top end of the pitch to compete for Premier League survival.
The Whites are reportedly active in the market to bring in attacking players, though, as they have reportedly held talks with free agent striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
He left Everton at the end of his contract earlier this summer and is said to have spoken with Leeds, Newcastle United, and Manchester United over a return to the Premier League.
Why Calvert-Lewin should not be the main number nine for Leeds
If the Whites are able to get a deal over the line for the free agent marksman in the coming days or weeks, he should not be the main number nine signing for Farke.
Football FanCast explained why his Premier League experience could be a useful addition to the squad in light of Patrick Bamford’s exclusion from the team this year, and that is why he could be a very shrewd free addition as a back-up option.
However, Calvert-Lewin’s injury history and goalscoring record in recent seasons do not suggest that he is the player they should hang their hat on to lead the line week-in-week-out to avoid the drop.
The 28-year-old striker has, as shown in the clips above, shown that he can score goals in the Premier League. However, the forward has only scored more than five goals in all competitions once in the last four seasons for Everton, per Sofascore.
This does not suggest that Calvert-Lewin is likely to be a prolific or reliable goalscoring option for Leeds in the number nine position, whilst his fitness record also does not make for good viewing.
24/25
2
15
23/24
3
6
22/23
4
29
21/22
2
33
As you can see in the table above, the former England international has missed a lot of matches through injury in the last four seasons and Farke would not be able to rely on him to be available consistently over the course of a season.
This is why Calvert-Lewin should not be signed to be the main number nine at Elland Road, but an experienced and useful back-up option instead.
Leeds identify Premier League star as top target
According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Fulham centre-forward Rodrigo Muniz is Leeds United’s number one target for the number nine position this summer.
The reporter adds, though, that the Championship champions have yet to reach an agreement with the Cottagers over a deal for the Brazilian marksman.
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It has been reported that Fulham value Muniz at a fee of around £50m and it remains to be seen whether or not Leeds are prepared to pay the money it will take to snap him up.
Jacobs claims that the Whites have not given up on a deal to sign the 24-year-old star to bolster their options in the centre-forward position, though, which means that there is still hope.
But it is now down to Leeds to formalise their interest with an offer that is enough to tempt the Cottagers into cashing in on the attacker, who would be way better than Calvert-Lewin for Farke.
Why Muniz would be better for Leeds than Calvert-Lewin
Muniz would be a way better signing for Leeds to lead the line as the main number nine signing to help push them towards survival in the Premier League in the upcoming campaign.
The Brazilian forward has only missed 11 games through injury in the last two seasons for Fulham, per Transfermarkt, whilst the former Everton man was absent for 21 matches in that period.
This suggests that the £50m-rated attacker is more likely to be consistently available to Farke over the course of the season, as he appears to be less prone to injuries than the free agent dynamo.
Muniz, who was hailed as “seriously impressive” by analyst Ben Mattinson, has also proven that he can score goals at an efficient rate in the Premier League over the past two seasons.
The Leeds target scored nine goals from 8.72 xG in the 2023/24 campaign for Fulham and eight goals from 5.81 xG last term, as per Sofascore, which shows that he can ruthlessly finish chances in the top-flight.
Appearances
31
26
xG
5.81
6.75
Goals
8
3
Goals per game
0.3
0.1
Big chances created
5
16
Assists
1
1
As you can see in the table above, Muniz significantly outperformed Calvert-Lewin in front of goal in the Premier League last season, scoring five goals more from almost one less expected goal in the division.
These statistics suggest that the Fulham ace would be way more reliable in front of goal for Leeds than the wasteful English striker, who missed far too many ‘big chances’ in the top-flight before his exit from Merseyside.
Leeds need to be ruthless and reliable at the top end of the pitch if they want to buck the trend of newly promoted teams all being instantly relegated in the last two seasons, which is why it is important that they bring in a striker who can finish chances effectively.
Therefore, Muniz, who has a good fitness and finishing record, could come in as a perfect signing to lead the line for the Whites, and he is clearly a way better option than Calvert-Lewin would be as a first-choice striker signing to bolster the squad.
