Stephen Warnock has now revealed he has some concerns over Dominic Calvert-Lewin and his ability to score goals for Leeds.
The man born in Sheffield has only scored one goal in eight appearances since his move to Elland Road in August, which was a free transfer for Leeds after he ran down his contract at Everton.
That has understandably worried Warnock, but he is completely missing the point when it comes to Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Stephen Warnock fears gloss over what Dominic Calvert-Lewin can provide in a Premier League relegation battle
Discussing some summer additions, the man who made 67 appearances for Leeds told the Yorkshire Post: “I like (Noah) Okafor, I think he’s a good player. I like Calvert-Lewin, but is Dominic Calvert-Lewin going to score 20 goals? Probably not.”
There is no “probably” about it. It is highly unlikely. The England international has only ever scored 20 goals in a season once since starting his professional career, which came during a purple patch season under Carlo Ancelotti at Everton in the 2020/21 campaign when he bagged 21 goals in 39 appearances across all competitions.
However, very few Premier League sides – even those who do survive – can boast a striker who scores 20 goals a season.
Last term, only five players reached 20 goals in the Premier League in Bryan Mbeumo, Chris Wood, Erling Haaland, Alexander Isak and Mohamed Salah. The season before, only Isak, Cole Palmer and Haaland achieved the feat.
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Furthermore, a side who did have a prolific striker last season in Liam Delap still suffered relegation, as Ipswich finished 19th despite the Englishman impressively bagging 12 goals in 37 appearances.
What is more important in a relegation battle is having a solid defensive foundation, and several players who are capable of pitching in with goals, something Farke does have with seven different goalscorers in his squad so far this term.
Ultimately, the numbers show Calvert-Lewin, who Aidy White praised, is still having a positive impact on this Leeds side.
Leeds are a strong overall unit with Dominic Calvert-Lewin leading the line
Life would be a lot easier for Leeds and Farke if Calvert-Lewin does score 20 goals this season, but his contributions are still seemingly having a positive impact.
As WhoScored shows, Leeds sit sixth in the Premier League for shots per game this season with 13 every 90 minutes, suggesting the 28-year-old is doing well when it comes to bringing others into play and occupying opposition defenders.
Team Goals Shots Per Game Discipline (Yellow Card/Red Card) Possession (%) Pass Success (%) Aerial Duels Won Rating
Liverpool 16 15.6 17/0 62.5 84.9 19.9 6.67
Manchester United 15 15 10/1 50.0 80.5 17.3 6.62
Arsenal 16 14.8 9/0 58.8 85.7 15.4 6.82
Chelsea 17 13.7 18/3 59.9 87.1 13 6.69
Manchester City 17 13.7 14/0 58.7 88.2 14.3 6.85
Leeds 9 13 14/0 47.6 81.8 15.6 6.53
Crystal Palace 12 12.8 18/0 42.3 78.2 19 6.76
Newcastle 9 12.7 9/1 50.1 80.9 16.8 6.65
Leeds are also eighth in the Premier League for xG (expected goals) with 13.27 this season.
That surely wouldn’t have been achievable without a formidable presence leading the line and helping the attack to gel.
Team xG Goals* xGDiff Shots xG/Shots Rating
Crystal Palace 18.3 12 -6.3 115 0.16 6.76
Liverpool 18.23 16 -2.23 140 0.13 6.67
Manchester United 18.09 13 -5.09 135 0.13 6.62
Arsenal 17.08 16 -1.08 133 0.13 6.82
Manchester City 16.46 15 -1.46 123 0.13 6.85
Brentford 15.96 14 -1.96 96 0.17 6.59
Chelsea 15.59 17 1.41 123 0.13 6.69
Leeds 13.27 9 -4.27 117 0.11 6.53
Newcastle 13.11 9 -4.11 114 0.11 6.65
Bournemouth 12.95 16 3.05 112 0.12 6.72
So, there is little to suggest Calvert-Lewin, a mentor for Harry Gray, is proving to be an attacking hindrance to Farke, with plenty to admire about that side of the game for Leeds at the moment.