Leeds United have the chance to sign a new striker after watching Dominic Calvert-Lewin endure a nightmare debut for the club.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has arrived at Leeds United this summer bolstering Daniel Farke’s front line options as the Whites look to avoid relegation back to the Championship.
Leeds signed Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer after the 28-year-old was released by Everton at the end of last season, and on Tuesday Calvert-Lewin came on after an hour of the game against Sheffield Wednesday. But he couldn’t prevent what was an upset in the Carabao Cup.
Calvert-Lewin put in a poor performance for Leeds United who eventually lost on penalties to Sheffield Wednesday who fielded a makeshift side amid their ongoing crisis off the field.
On the night, Calvert-Lewin missed a handful of good opportunities to put Leeds United in front and to avoid the game going to penalties, before blazing over his own penalty as Leeds failed to score a single one of their penalties in the shootout.
Fotis Ioannidis in action during Panathinaikos v Rangers - Champions League: Qualifying Round
Photo by Stefanos Kyriazis/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Leeds United handed Fotis Ioannidis update at Panathinaikos
Earlier in the month, when Calvert-Lewin was being linked with a move to Elland Road, it was claimed at the same time that Leeds United also wanted to sign Fotis Ioannidis from Panathinaikos. The 25-year-old Athenian-born striker has been with Greek giants Panathinaikos since 2020, having also racked up 17 caps for his country with six goals.
Last season, Ioannidis scored six goals in 26 Super League games for Panathinaikos and has now become hot property in Europe with both Leeds and Sporting CP eyeing a move for the striker.
But Greek journalist Giannis Chorianopoulos says that Sporting and Panathinaikos are yet to agree on a deal for Ioannidis, with Panathinaikos now willing to accept a deal worth €25m (£21.5m) plus a sell-on clause.
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Leeds United may have made a massive blunder in the transfer market
After seeing Calvert-Lewin struggle against a youthful Sheffield Wednesday side on Tuesday night, it suggests that he may still have a way to go to reach the heights he was once at with Everton.
Now with just a few days left of the summer transfer window, and Leeds looking as though they could really struggle for goals this season, Farke may be worried that he has left a huge component of his summer transfer business too late.
Leeds could really do with one more striker, and a striker who is proven in a top flight, whether that be the Premier League or another top tier. But Ioannidis doesn’t seem like a very exciting signing, given his rather measly goal tally last season and how much he’d cost Leeds this summer.
Other names have been linked, including Ermedin Demirovic and Artem Dovbyk, who both hit double figures in their respective leagues last season, though both strikers could cost significantly more than what Ioannidis might cost.
So far this summer, Leeds have spent more than £100m on new players, and they may have a good chunk of money left having started the summer with £150m in the transfer kitty.
But expect Farke to want to save some of that for January, and expect him to want Calvert-Lewin to eventually come good, whether he will of course remains to be seen.