Daniel Farke’s transfer priorities have changed in front of his eyes, after his Leeds United side hit the ground running in his new 3-5-2 formation.
At the end of the season, Daniel Farke may be able to pinpoint the moment his fortunes changed with Leeds, as his changes at half-time against Manchester City sparked his side into life.
The walls were closing in on Farke after a damaging first half at the Etihad, when he threw on Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jaka Bijol with his side trailing 2-0.
Although Leeds did not get a result in that game, Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha both scored, before bullying Chelsea’s defence in Leeds’ next game to inspire a famous 3-1 win.
The Chelsea victory provided emphatic proof that Farke’s change of system was producing results. However, it also showed that Leeds need to change their priorities in the transfer market.
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Leeds United need another striker in the mould of Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Having watched his forwards dominate Chelsea’s back line in the 3-1 win, Farke then delivered the news that no Leeds fan wanted to hear in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Liverpool.
According to Farke, Lukas Nmecha is a doubt for the game, having gone down briefly in the first half, and Calvert-Lewin would also need to be assessed after leading the line so well against Chelsea.
Noah Okafor did a sterling job of supporting Calvert-Lewin as a second striker from the bench against the Blues, creating Leeds’ third goal with his high press.
However, having been written off as too weak for the Premier League by Gary Neville, there are doubts over whether Joel Piroe has the physical attributes to lead the Leeds press in the way Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin do.
Until Farke changed his system at half-time against Man City, Leeds were believed to be in the market for a winger, having been persistently linked with Fulham’s Harry Wilson.
However, the game and a half since Farke went to his new system has changed that equation. More than anything, Leeds now need to bring in a third striker in the mould of Calvert-Lewin or Nmecha, to maintain the physical presence in the final third if either is unavailable.
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Premier League stats highlight Lukas Nmecha’s growing Leeds United influence
Lukas Nmecha was something of an unknown quantity for most Leeds fans, having joined the club on a free transfer from Wolfsburg in the summer.
However, he is rapidly establishing himself as one of Farke’s principal goal threats and looks set to play an increasingly important role as the season progresses.
The stats from FotMob highlight his growing influence for Leeds in the final third. Nmecha is the club’s top scorer with four and is among the best in the Premier League in several categories.
How good has Lukas Nmecha been so far this season? 🔥⚽
Leeds have picked up a bargain from Wolfsburg
Nmecha is behind only Erling Haaland based on expected goals (xG) per 90 minutes, with 0.81, and has the joint second-best xG goals per shot in the competition, with 0.32. His conversion rate of 28.57% is the joint-fifth best of any player to have had more than 10 shots on goal.
Partnering Nmecha with Calvert-Lewin up front has revolutionised Leeds’ play. Farke now needs to support them with another forward to avoid becoming over-reliant on the pair.
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