Lukas Nmecha grabbed his fifth goal of the season for Leeds United with his last-gasp winner against Fulham at Elland Road in the Premier League on Saturday.
Signed on a free transfer from Wolfsburg last summer, the former Germany international has shown that he can contribute with big moments at the top end of the pitch, scoring five goals in 19 matches.
Nmecha has struggled with the physicality of the Premier League at times as a starter, winning just 1.8 duels per game (Sofascore), but his goals show that he still brings value to the team off the bench.
Whilst the former Manchester City youngster stole the headlines with his goal against the Cottagers on Saturday, the Whites could land an upgrade on him before the end of the window.
Leeds are still hoping to sign Premier League striker
The reigning Championship champions are reportedly interested in a deal to sign a number nine from one of their Premier League rivals this month.
According to LeedsLive, Daniel Farke would like to add another centre-forward to his squad before the end of the January transfer window, but the club will only do a deal if it makes sense and will not panic-buy another striker
The report claims that Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-forward Jorgen Strand Larsen is one of the players on their radar, which comes after David Ornstein claimed that an enquiry had been made for the £40m-rated marksman.
Whilst no official offer has been made by Leeds United, LeedsLive reports that the club have not given up hope of landing the Norway international from their rivals, despite interest from Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest
It states that internal ‘expectations are being tempered’ without giving up hope of getting a deal done for Strand Larsen in the last couple of weeks of the window.
Why Strand Larsen would be a Nmecha upgrade
The Wolves striker may not seem like an obvious upgrade on Nmecha when you look at their statistics this season, as Strand Larsen has scored once in the Premier League, whilst the Leeds forward is on five for the campaign.
However, the Norwegian centre-forward’s all-round play up front suggests that he would offer more to the team in general play, which could make him more suited than Nmecha to starting matches for Leeds.
Per Sofascore, Strand Larsen has won 3.3 duels per game and won 41% of his aerial duels in the Premier League this season. Nmecha, meanwhile, has won 1.8 duels per game and 39% of his aerial duels for the Whites.
Strand Larsen, as shown in the clips above, scored 14 goals in his debut season in the Premier League in the 2024/25 campaign, which shows that he is capable of finding the back of the net on a regular basis at that level when he is at his best.
| Premier League | Strand Larsen (24/25) | Nmecha (25/26) |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 35 | 19 |
| xG | 10.27 | 4.91 |
| Goals | 14 | 5 |
| Big chances created | 6 | 0 |
| Assists | 4 | 0 |
| Duels won per game | 3.0 | 1.8 |
| Stats via Sofascore | ||
As you can see in the table above, the Norwegian star’s form last term for Wolves makes him stand out as a big upgrade on what Nmecha has offered to Leeds this season.
The £40m-rated attacker has the potential to offer more quality as a scorer, a creator, and as a physical outlet in the number nine position, but that is only if he can get back to his best, having only scored once in the Premier League in the current campaign.
Signing Strand Larsen, therefore, would be a risky move because there is a chance that he continues to struggle and does not get back to his best in front of goal at Elland Road.
However, the upside is huge because of how good he was for Wolves in the 2024/25 campaign, hence why Leeds want to sign him, and he could be a big upgrade on Nmecha if they can get a deal over the line for him and get his confidence back.
