Calvert-Lewin vs Lukas Nmecha – Data suggests who Daniel Farke should start at Leeds
Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha both arrived at Leeds United this summer on free transfers.
Calvert-Lewin was well known by Leeds supporters from his time at Everton, and the 28-year-old was packaged as Leeds’ marquee striker signing by the 49ers when he arrived.
Nmecha, on the other hand, is more of an unknown commodity, with the former Manchester City and Middlesbrough man having a spell in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg before landing at Elland Road.
Both players have started at various points this season under Daniel Farke, with both appearing to be dramatic upgrades on Joel Piroe, but who has performed better out of the two so far?
Data suggests Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the more well-rounded striker
Although Nmecha has scored Leeds’ only goal of the season so far from the spot against Everton, Calvert-Lewin would appear to be Farke’s best option to lead the line so far.
This comes despite Calvert-Lewin receiving criticism for his performance against Fulham.
Both strikers, along with the rest of the team, have failed to score in open play so far this season, and Farke will be hoping his two new forwards begin to fire sooner rather than later.
| Dominic Calvert-Lewin | Premier League stats (2025/26) | Lukas Nmecha |
| 0 | Goals | 1 |
| 1.5 | Shots per game | 0.8 |
| 1 | Shots on target per game | 0.2 |
| 1 | Big chances missed | 0 |
| 13 | Touches per game | 14.2 |
| 5.0 (71%) | Accurate passes per game | 5.8 (70%) |
| 4.0 | Possession lost per game | 4.8 |
| 1.5 | Fouls won per game | 1 |
| 3.5 (64%) | Total duels won per game | 2.0 (36%) |
The data suggests that whilst Nmecha has scored, Calvert-Lewin has been considerably more involved in the game during the minutes they have both played in the Premier League.
As well as getting more shots off, Calvert-Lewin has proven to be a more combative force when leading the line, protecting the ball better, whilst winning more of his duels.
The fact that the former Evertonian also gives the ball away less will be something for Farke to consider, especially when facing teams such as Arsenal, where Leeds struggled to keep hold of possession.
Neither man may be good enough to keep Leeds up
In an ideal world, the 49ers would have brought in either Calvert-Lewin or Nmecha as a backup option this summer before investing money into a new first-choice striker.
Whilst the pair’s physicality was much needed, there are questions about whether both men have the required quality in front of goal to keep Leeds up.
- The last time Calvert-Lewin scored 10 or more league goals was back in the 2020/21 campaign, where he scored 16 Premier League goals for Everton
- It has also been a considerable amount of time since Nmecha scored double digits in league goals, too, scoring 18 for Anderlecht, also back in the 2020/21 campaign
On top of their poor form in recent years, both have questionable injury records, so whilst they definitely improve Leeds and the makeup of their squad, it may not be by enough of a meaningful margin.
Starting at Wolves on Saturday, the goals have to start flowing again.
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