Leeds United’s new signing Lukas Nmecha made his debut for the club in the pre-season friendly against Manchester United last weekend. But what fans expect from him next season remains to be seen.
Lukas Nmecha has certainly been around the block. Starting his career at Manchester City, he had failed loan spells with the likes of Middlesbrough and Preston North End in the Championship, before making his name during a loan spell with Anderlecht.
He then sealed a permanent move to Wolfsburg in 2021, and in 85 games he scored 19 goals, but injuries curtailed his time in Germany and he was released this summer, but Daniel Farke has taken a chance on the 26-year-old, who has signed for Leeds on a two-year deal.
Straight after signing for the club, though, Leeds United fans gave mixed opinions on Nmecha, with many deeming the striker not to be good enough for the Premier League.
Lukas Nmecha is determined to prove his worth at Leeds United
Speaking in an interview with Yorkshire Evening Post, Nmecha was asked whether or not he thinks the club have shown a lot of faith in Nmecha to sign him on a two-year deal, given his previous injury record with Wolfsburg (see table below).
The striker said: “I would say maybe yes, in a way but I think it’s going to be be a move that they’re going to be happy about.
“The thing that’s always given me a lot of confidence is that even though I’ve had these times being out the game, whenever I’ve come back, I felt really comfortable. I’m starting to gain my confidence here again, training is going really well.
“I know it’s still the beginning phases. It’s mainly just about getting the fitness back up to speed. Nice to have a few games coming up now, getting the chemistry with the boys.”
| Season | Days missed through injury | Injuries | Games missed |
| 24/25 | 45 days | 3 | 8 |
| 23/24 | 398 days | 3 | 39 |
| 22/23 | 176 days | 3 | 17 |
| 21/22 | 83 days | 2 | 9 |
| 19/20 | 8 days | 1 | 4 |
Three reasons why Lukas Nmecha can be a hit with Leeds United
He’s the underdog
One thing Nmecha has going for him next season is that very few seem to think he will do all that much. He goes into the new campaign as something of an underdog, and potentially an understudy to Joel Piroe and whichever striker Farke might sign next.
Given that, if Nmecha can score a few goals, play his role and generally put in the hard work, then he’ll be a hit with Leeds United fans for sure.
There aren’t many striker options
Nmecha could actually find himself playing quite regularly next season, whether that’s from the off or coming off the bench. Nmecha could play a key role, with Farke’s current striker options very thin on the ground.
Patrick Bamford has been told he can leave Leeds United, and then there’s the future of Mateo Joseph which remains unclear. That leaves really just Nmecha and Piroe, and likely one or two more strikers, with Farke likely to sign a couple more before the summer transfer window shuts on September 1st.
With plenty of game time and trust from Farke, Nmecha could quickly find his spark.
He has pedigree
When Nmecha signed, fans were quick to point out his failed loan spells with Middlesbrough and Preston, and whilst they certainly don’t look all that good on his CV, his CV as a whole still counts the likes of Man City, Anderlecht, and Wolfsburg, and with the latter two in particular he boasted a good goals record, albeit missing a lot of games through injury with Wolfsburg.
Given his upbringing at Man City and his experiences which have led him to this point, we might be quick to write off Nmecha, who’s certainly better prepared to take on English football this time round.
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