Leeds United star actually snubbed Champions League club before moving to Elland Road
While most of the focus was on an underwhelming end to the summer window, Leeds were able to seal what appears to be a big coup prior to that.
Daniel Farke will be frustrated at Leeds; there’s very little denying that after they failed to bring any new arrivals in after 25 August.
However, 10 new arrivals still checked in at Elland Road over the course of the summer, several of whom have already impressed.
With that said, one of those yet to make an impact is said to have made a surprising decision this summer, amid interest from a club competing in the Champions League.
Calvert-Lewin had plenty of interest ahead of Leeds move
Dominic Calvert-Lewin joined Leeds United this summer after departing Everton at the end of his contract on Merseyside.
As of yet, his impact has yet to be felt, with Calvert-Lewin‘s performance in Leeds’ Carabao Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday doing very little to spark much optimism.
However, his experience in the Premier League is telling, and according to Leeds’ managing director, Robbie Evans, he rejected some big interest to seal a transfer to Elland Road.
- Joined Everton in 2016
- England debut in 2020
- Free transfer to Leeds in 2025
Via BBC Sport, Evans said: “We’re very proud of the way we went and got Dom, who, by the way, turned down a Champions League contract the day we signed him. We’re thrilled that he’s here.
“A shared view from the manager, from the recruitment and from the sporting director was that of all the options that were even plausibly available to us, nobody was a better fit to the objective of staying up this season than Dominic.”
Sunderland, who had beaten Leeds to several signings, were also rumoured to be interested in the 28-year-old.
What are Leeds getting with the signing of Calvert-Lewin?
First and foremost, Premier League experience, and lots of it.
Since joining Everton back in 2016, the Englishman has made 273 appearances for the Merseyside outfit, most of which have arrived in the top flight.
In that time, Calvert-Lewin has scored 71 goals and contributed with a further 18 assists across all competitions.
From 2021, injuries started to take their toll, with his 21-goal season followed by two campaigns in which he failed to score more than five goals.
In fact, since then, he has yet to reach double figures for goals scored, though there is every chance he can achieve that at Elland Road if fitness levels improve.
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