Leeds United kicked off their Premier League season in impressive fashion with a 1-0 win away at Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday.
Anton Stach produced a trademark free-kick late on to secure all three points for the Whites, with new signings James Trafford and Tarik Muharemovic contributing to a clean sheet on their debuts.
The West Yorkshire outfit did not give up a single ‘big chance’ against them and gave their new goalkeeper very little to do between the sticks.
At the other end of the pitch, though, Daniel Farke may want his forward players to offer more to the team, as his team did not create any ‘big chances’ for themselves.
How Dominic Calvert-Lewin performed against Nottingham Forest
Calvert-Lewin enjoyed a terrific debut season at Elland Road, scoring 14 goals in the Premier League last term, but he delivered an underwhelming performance against Forest on Saturday.
The England international was selected ahead of Lukas Nmecha to lead the line for the Whites at the City Ground and failed to make a difference in the final third.
He played the full 90 minutes without registering a shot on target or creating a single chance for his teammates, as the Forest centre-backs got the better of him.
|
Vs Nottingham Forest |
Calvert-Lewin |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
90 |
|
Shots |
3 |
|
Shots on target |
0 |
|
Key passes |
0 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
|
Pass accuracy |
36% |
|
Duels won |
4/12 |
Calvert-Lewin typically offers a physical presence in the number nine position for the Whites, but Forest’s defenders won eight of their 12 duels against him throughout the afternoon.
His struggles on and off the ball highlighted the need for Leeds to go back into the market to sign a striker to provide him with genuine competition before the window slams shut next week.
Leeds eyeing move for Calvert-Lewin upgrade
The West Yorkshire outfit are already exploring different options to come in, and they are eyeing a star who could arrive at Elland Road as an even better number nine than Calvert-Lewin.
According to Football Insider, Leeds United are lining up a move to sign Ermedin Demirovic from Stuttgart before the end of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Whites have made signing a new striker a priority and that they have a strong interest in landing the Bosnian from the German outfit.
However, Football Insider reveals that Stuttgart, who paid £20m to sign him from Augsburg, are reluctant to allow him to leave and journalist Pete O’Rourke notes that it would be a “difficult” deal to get done.
It remains to be seen how much it would take to convince the Bundesliga side to part ways with the player, but they would presumably want in excess of the £20m that they paid for him in 2024.
In his two years in the German top-flight with Stuttgart, the 28-year-old marksman has proven himself to be a reliable goalscorer and a clinical finisher in one of Europe’s major leagues.
|
Demirovic (Bundesliga) |
24/25 |
25/26 |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
34 |
25 |
|
Starts |
20 |
17 |
|
xG |
14.20 |
7.55 |
|
Goals |
15 |
12 |
|
Conversion rate |
23% |
29% |
|
Big chances created |
5 |
4 |
|
Assists |
1 |
3 |
Demirovic racked up an eye-catching 27 goals and nine ‘big chances’ created in the last two full seasons with Stuttgart, despite only starting 37 of those matches.
Most notably, he outperformed his xG in both of those campaigns, scoring 12 goals from 7.55 xG last term, and could be the clinical finisher that Leeds currently lack.
Calvert-Lewin has been a terrific performer for the Whites on balance since joining from Everton, but he only scored 14 goals from 15.81 xG and missed 20 ‘big chances’ in the Premier League last term.
He also only scored three goals from 6.75 xG and missed 16 ‘big chances’ in the top-flight for the Toffees in the 2024/25 campaign, which shows that the forward has failed to be clinical in front of goal in the past two seasons.
Demirovic, therefore, could arrive at Elland Road as an upgrade on Calvert-Lewin if he can bring his Bundesliga form over to the Premier League, as he looks to be a far more clinical and reliable finisher.
On top of that, the Bosnian has scored more goals (27) than the Englishman (17) at league level in the last two seasons, suggesting that he could be more clinical and more prolific, giving Leeds a greater threat in the final third.
That is why the 49ers should push the boat out and come up with a proposal that is attractive enough to convince Stuttgart to cash in on the forward before the deadline.
