Back in the summer, Leeds had targeted different strikers to lead the club to Premier League survival with the belief that Dominic Calvert-Lewin was out of reach.
Early bids north of £25m were tabled for Beto and Rodrigo Muniz, but it was Calvert-Lewin that Leeds really wanted to sign. However, as the window went on, Calvert-Lewin started to become available.
It comes after big European sides like Manchester United and Milan considered Calvert-Lewin. But the striker opted to join Leeds and become the club’s starting striker, rather than being back-up elsewhere.
It has been a struggle for Calvert-Lewin in front of goal, but Leeds fans are more than aware of the work Calvert-Lewin puts in, and how Leeds are a much better side with the England star in Farke’s starting XI.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin shares details of first Daniel Farke chat
Speaking to Sky Sports’ One on One, Calvert-Lewin shares how he had a conversation with Farke for half an hour before he signed on at Elland Road, how he connected with the Leeds boss on a human level.
“We want to finish as high as possible, look up and not down. And he called me the day before I signed, the manager, and he spoke to me for half an hour,” Calvert-Lewin recalled, ahead of signing for Leeds.
“And just one of the key things I remember feeling is like, he was very like, spoke to me on a human level, you know, not just player to manager, human to human, which I appreciated,” the striker continued.
“And he made a point of saying he knew my level and he knew the kind of quality that I have and he had a desire to bring that out of me. What he said, I really liked and it was a no-brainer for me,” he added.
Calvert-Lewin rejected a mammoth £18m offer from Turkey
Now, it is believed Calvert-Lewin is among the top earners at Elland Road after putting pen to paper on a three-year contract at Leeds. But Calvert-Lewin could have earned a whole lot more, playing in Turkey.
Reports emerged around the time of his arrival at Elland Road claiming that Fenerbahce had offered the striker a three-year deal worth £18m. Jose Mourinho was still in charge of the SuperLig giants at the time.
But Calvert-Lewin rejected the offer and has ended up at Leeds. The striker is expected to come back into the starting line-up on Sunday when Leeds host Aston Villa, having only been a sub against Forest.
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