Instant Calvert-Lewin upgrade: Leeds lining up move for "special" £35m star

Leeds United officially confirmed their latest arrival of the summer transfer window on Friday with the unveiling of Dominic Calvert-Lewin as their new centre-forward.

The former England international became a free agent last month when his contract at Everton expired, which has allowed the Whites to snap him up on a free transfer.

Calvert-Lewin has put pen to paper on a three-year contract at Elland Road, which means that he will be committed to the club even if they suffer relegation at the first time of asking.

The former Toffees marksman is set to compete with Joel Pirore and Lukas Nmecha for a place in the starting line-up, and could make his debut against his former club at Elland Road in the Premier League on Monday.

Daniel Farke has 'lost' two number nine options this summer, though, as he told Patrick Bamford that the veteran forward would not be a part of his plans, whilst Mateo Joseph is out on loan at Mallorca.

Despite bringing Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin in, Leeds may need to dip back into the market to sign another centre-forward before the end of the window.

Why Leeds need to sign another striker

It is no secret that the Whites will need to score plenty of goals this season to give themselves a chance of avoiding relegation from the Premier League, which makes the striker position particularly important.

However, Calvert-Lewin and Nmecha do not seem primed to arrive as prolific number nine options who are going to deliver consistent performances in front of goal in the top-flight, based on their form for their previous clubs.

Nmecha, for example, scored just seven goals in the Bundesliga in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns combined, per Transfermarkt, and missed 47 matches through injury in that time.

These statistics do not suggest that the former Wolfsburg man is likely to be Farke's own Erling Haaland or Alexander Isak in the Premier League this season, as he struggled for goals and fitness in the last couple of campaigns.

Calvert-Lewin's Premier League career Season xG Goals 24/25 8.85 3 23/24 13.63 7 22/23 6.50 2 21/22 6.22 5 20/21 18.21 16 19/20 16.11 13 18/19 6.17 6 17/18 5.44 4 16/17 1.25 1 Stats via Understat

As you can see in the table above, though, Calvert-Lewin also appears unlikely to be a prolific scorer for Leeds when you consider his output in front of goal and his disappointing finishing in recent years.

The English striker has underperformed against his xG in all nine of his seasons in the Premier League to date, and has not scored more than seven goals in a league campaign for four years.

Whilst he has scored some impressive goals, as shown in the clips above, Calvert-Lewin may not be the prolific scorer that the Whites may need to stay in the top-flight.

Leeds eyeing deal for Bundesliga striker

Supporters should, therefore, be pleased to read that the West Yorkshire outfit are reportedly eyeing up another option in that area of the pitch.

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According to Kicker, Leeds United are lining up a potential move to sign Stuttgart centre-forward Ermedin Demirovic to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch.

The report claims that the Whites have a 'desire' to buy the 27-year-old marksman, despite the fact that they only signed Calvert-Lewin this week.

It adds that the Bosnia international is not happy with his current role at Stuttgart. Nick Woltemade and Deniz Undav are said to be ahead of him in the pecking order, which could lead to him pursuing a move away before the window slams shut.

Kicker also reveals that it will take a fee in the region of £35m to persuade Stuttgart to part ways with the striker, and it remains to be seen whether or not Leeds are willing to pay that much to bring him to Elland Road.

Why Leeds should sign Demirovic

As aforementioned, Calvert-Lewin and Nmecha, whilst they may prove to be huge successes at Elland Road, have not done enough in recent seasons to suggest that they will carry a significant goal threat for Farke.

This is why Leeds should be pushing to seal a deal for their latest transfer target, because he is an experienced, yet not over-the-hill, striker who could be the talismanic goalscorer they need to avoid the drop.

The former Augsburg marksman, who was dubbed a "special" talent by Stuttgart director Fabian Wohlgemuth, has an incredibly impressive fitness record in his career, with just two matches missed through injury according to Transfermarkt.

This suggests that Farke would be able to rely on him to play week-in-week-out, thanks to his durability, and the same cannot be said for the two other centre-forward arrivals this summer, as aforementioned.

Demirovic, most importantly, has proven himself to be a fantastic goalscorer in the German top-flight, and could provide a clinical presence in front of goal for the Whites.

Eremdin Demirovic (Bundesliga) 23/24 24/25 Appearances 33 34 Starts 33 20 xG 13.59 14.20 Goals 15 15 Minutes per goal 192 124 Conversion rate 19% 23% Big chances created 8 5 Assists 9 1 Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Bosnian attacker has scored 30 goals and provided ten assists in the last seasons in the Bundesliga for Stuttgart and Augsburg combined.

Meanwhile, Calvert-Lewin, who has also missed 83 games through injury in this time, has only scored 15 goals in the last four Premier League seasons combined for Everton, per Transfermarkt, which suggests that Demirovic is way more prolific in front of goal, to put it lightly.

Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin

The £35m-rated star has also shown that he can finish chances at an efficient rate, outperforming his xG in both of those Bundesliga seasons, whilst the Englishman has consistently struggled to tuck away the high-quality chances that have been created for him.

Therefore, Demirovic could come in as an instant upgrade on Calvert-Lewin because he has a better fitness record, a significantly better goal record, and is a far more clinical finisher, having proven himself in one of Europe's major leagues.

This is why Leeds should be working to bring Demirovic over from Stuttgart before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of next month, as he can offer way more to the team than Calvert-Lewin as the starting number nine.

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