Lukas Nmecha joins Leeds United (from Simon Grayson’s Leeds United)

Written by: Rob Conlon

There I was, enjoying the rarity of a few quiet weeks between seasons when we don’t have to worry about nothing happening at Leeds United, only for something to bloody happen at Leeds United. Plot twist, it’s a good thing that happened: we signed a player! Before the transfer window has even opened!

Everybody knows that signing footballers is exciting, and everybody knows that getting some business done early is not very Leeds United at all. So what’s the story with Lukas Nmecha? Why is he not costing anything? Is he any good, completely broken, or both? Here’s what I found out.

Career so far

As a product of Manchester City’s academy, Nmecha’s career blurs the boundaries between reality and the life of a Football Manager regen. His three token appearances for City lasted for a combined total of 46 minutes, the longest of which was in a League Cup tie at Leicester as he came off the bench (ahead of Fab Delph and Leroy Sane) to score in a penalty shootout victory. Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez missed for Leicester. And I’m taking all that as proof he is better than Fab Delph, Leroy Sane, Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez.

The following season, 2018/19, Nmecha was placed on the carousel of loan moves from which some young prospects ultimately never escape. A season at Preston in the Championship: three goals. Six months in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg: zero goals. Half a season back in the Champo for Middlesbrough: zero goals. Finally, in 2020/21, he enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at Anderlecht in which he replaced Kemar Roofe up front and scored 21 goals, earning a permanent escape from Manchester with an €8m back to Wolfsburg.

Things didn’t start off too badly at his new home. Operating anywhere across the attack, Nmecha’s ten goals — including a couple in the Champions League — were enough to make him the club’s top scorer in 2021/22 and get him called into the senior Germany squad. But in the three seasons since, injuries have limited his time on the pitch and he has scored only nine more goals.

I’m sure chronic knee and hamstring issues are nothing to worry about, right? Right?!

Do we have history?

Somewhat fittingly, Nmecha has played more senior games against Leeds than any other English club, and he’s also had the good grace to not score in any of those four outings. He only ended on the winning side against Leeds once — a 2-0 win at Elland Road with Preston in the early rounds of the League Cup during Marcelo Bielsa’s first season in charge.

As we all know, and as Nmecha will soon find out, Leeds don’t do winning in the cup so that doesn’t really count, particularly given Jamal Blackman, Conor Shaughnessy, Tom Pearce and Lewis Baker started that game.

Instead, Leeds must have seeped into his soul by osmosis, having shared changing rooms with various former Leeds characters — Fab Delph, Paul Huntington, Josuha Guilavogui, Djed Spence, Adam Clayton, Jonny Howson. He’s even been managed by Jonny Woodgate and Neil Warnock. It’s a crash course in Leeds United’s recent history. Either that or a Simon Grayson fever dream.

Best moment

A quick scout of YouTube for some Lukas Nmecha goal compilations suggests he scores a lot of penalties. I can’t work out whether that’s good or not, although he does occasionally convert them with Panenkas, which is definitely good.

Given the feast or famine nature of his club career to date, maybe it’s best to focus on his international exploits. A senior Germany international with seven caps to his name, Nmecha won youth tournaments with both Germany and England, who he was eligible to represent after moving there as a child.

So take your pick: hanging out with Lewis Cook, Ronaldo Vieira and Tom Pearce as part of the England side that won the 2018 Toulon Tournament? Lifting the 2021 European Under-21 Championship with Germany, where he finished as the competition’s top scorer and bagged the only goal of the final?

Come to think of it, it’s probably winning the 2017 European Under-19 Championships, where he not only scored a 93rd-minute winner in the semi-final against Czech Republic and the winner against Portugal in the final, but he also helped England top Group B ahead of a Netherlands team featuring a strike force of Joel Piroe and Jay-Roy Grot. Let’s get the band back together.

Worst moment

Having to play under Neil Warnock, presumably.

Rate the announcement

Given the suits at Elland Road like to keep their cards close to their chests these days, this one came out of the blue. It doesn’t matter what owners or executives say either publicly or privately to journalists, because they can always be judged on the work that they do — so while I like the fact the 49ers don’t go around leaking information to the media, it was important to get an early signing confirmed to prove that work is being done and settle some twitchier corners of the fanbase down.

Even the announcement itself was low key. One minute nothing was happening, the next minute Graham Smyth was tweeting the signing was close, and later that afternoon — bang, there you go, announced. Here’s your new striker in a plain white Leeds United hoody without even a teaser of what some of next year’s adidas kit or training wear might look like.

This was a nice touch, though:

🤍 A proud dad on Father’s Day pic.twitter.com/j4rmcKD2Lz

— Leeds United (@LUFC) June 15, 2025

And it was nice to hear Nmecha talk about the influence of his former captain at Wolfsburg, Josuha Guilavogui:

“I’ve got some people that have been here, like Joss, who I’ve played with and he told me about the atmosphere and the fans. I trust Joss. He’s one of the nicest guys in football. He said it’s a massive club and if I get the opportunity, I should definitely do it. He said the fans are crazy and the boys are great as well. So yeah, he gave a really good first impression.”

If Nmecha is anywhere near as nice as Guilavogui, we’ll get on just fine. Now it’s worth checking if there are any other former teammates Guilavogui can tap up for us while he’s at it. Antoine Griezmann might be a stretch. I’d settle for Max Gradel out of retirement.

How will they win us over?

Staying fit will be a start. Scoring some goals is the obvious answer. Maybe getting back in the Germany team and rinsing Robin Koch in training so hard our former defender never gets picked for them again is too much to ask. Although it sounds like Robin might be doing that job himself judging by the reaction to his latest international appearances:

I saw Germany win a World Cup with Shkodran Mustafi starting but somehow Robin Koch is the worst CB I’ve ever seen start for Germany

— OZ (@OrlandoNapoli22) June 8, 2025