Leeds United have had their fair share of exciting attackers when gracing the Premier League.
The main standout name is Raphinha, who is now scoring goals for fun with Barcelona. But, before he was sticking the knife in to get Xabi Alonso sacked at Real Madrid, the exhilarating Brazilian amazingly called West Yorkshire home, with 17 goals and 12 assists heading his way, donning Leeds white.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is well on the way to being held in the same high esteem as the former number ten, with the potent Englishman already up to nine goals for the season at Elland Road.
It was a masterstroke of a decision to gain his services on a free transfer, with hindsight on side, as Daniel Farke hunts down more lethal recruits this January to ensure Leeds just have that extra bite to ensure survival is comfortably secured.
Leeds offered chance to sign £21m striker
The worry on Farke’s end will be whether Leeds will be deemed as one-dimensional and easy to thwart up top if they’re over-reliant on the former Everton marksman to deliver the goods.
With Joel Piroe potentially leaving the building, too, it’s no great shock to see Leeds being linked with a litany of different attacking signings, with Jorgen Strand Larsen now the subject of a possible record-breaking move to Elland Road as he looks to leave relegation-doomed Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Alongside Strand Larsen, a report from TEAMtalk has revealed that Leeds are in the running for AS Roma marksman Artem Dovbyk, with the Italian club even offering up the services of the Ukrainian to Farke and Co during talks.
The report does state that it looks unlikely that a move would take place, as Dovbyk currently nurses a thigh injury, with the signing also dependent on whether Piroe does end up exiting Elland Road this month.
Leeds should attempt to push on with signing the £21m-rated attacker, though, with the 6-foot-2 menace arguably a more lethal finisher of chances than Calvert-Lewin, when performing at full throttle.
How Dovbyk is more lethal than Calvert-Lewin
Of course, at this point in time, Calvert-Lewin has that starting spot as Farke’s lone marksman nailed down, and for good reason, with a goal coming his way in the Premier League at a blistering rate of every 146 minutes, as per Sofascore.
However, this might come as a surprise, but Dovbyk is operating at a more efficient rate playing in Serie A this season, even as he has to make do with constant bench appearances, with a strike heading his way every 129 minutes.
DCL vs Dovbyk (25/26 league numbers)
Stat
DCL
Dovbyk
Games played
19
13
Minutes played
1314 mins
384 mins
Games started
14
3
Shots
35
9
Shot accuracy %
51.43%
55.33%
Shots on target
18
5
Goals scored
9
3
Conversion %
25.71%
33.33%
Stats by Squawka
While Calvert-Lewin still does have him beaten in many areas of their respective attacking areas, it’s clear that the Ukrainian is a force to be reckoned with, even as he’s limited to minimal minutes, with his shot accuracy percentage coming in at 55.33% this season, next to his English counterpart’s slightly weaker 51.43%.
On top of that, the towering Roma number nine also boasts a better conversion rate of chances, with Farke surely having no qualms about throwing Dovbyk into the deep-end of the Premier League as an impact player, knowing what he’s been capable of in Italy.
Moreover, while Calvert-Lewin struggled towards the latter stages of his long-standing Everton spell to set the world alight, with only 17 goals heading his way across his last four Premier League seasons, before feeling re-energised in Yorkshire, Dovbyk has been on fire.
Indeed, he picked up LaLiga’s golden boot just two seasons ago when hammering home a ridiculous 24 goals from 32 league starts.
This red-hot spell with Girona is where the 28-year-old would be labelled as an “elite” centre-forward by European football expert Zach Lowy, with ex-Manchester City attacker Mario Balotelli also claiming that he is “similar to Haaland” when he’s through on goal, which is high praise, indeed.
Dovbyk is up to 134 career goals; subsequently, with Calvert-Lewin lagging behind on 98 himself, as the Elland Road ranks could soon be handed an almighty boost in the forward areas if a dramatic January move occurs for the 40-time Ukraine international to swap the Italian capital for England.
Related
Leeds United reach verbal agreement to sign Argentina international this month
The Whites are getting active in the market