One of the biggest talking points around Leeds United at the moment is their struggles at the top end of the pitch in the 2025/26 Premier League season so far.
Four games into the new campaign, Daniel Farke’s side have failed to score a single goal from open play in the top-flight after they won the Championship title with 95 goals scored last term.
Lukas Nmecha’s penalty against Everton at Elland Road on the opening day of the season is the only goal scored by the Whites in the league so far.
The West Yorkshire outfit failed to find the back of the net in losses to Arsenal and Fulham and in their draw with Newcastle United, which is a cause for concern even at this early stage.
xG
3.8
15th
Goals scored per game
0.3
19th
Open play goals per game
0.0
Joint-20th
Shots on target per game
2.0
20th
Big chances created
5
17th
Touches in the opposition’s box
74
17th
As you can see in the table above, Leeds have been one of the worst teams in the division in the final third across the first four matches of the campaign.
This woeful start to the Premier League season in front of goal has led some to question the decision to send Largie Ramazani out on loan to Valencia.
Why Leeds should have kept Largie Ramazani this season
Farke decided to send the Belgian forward out on loan for the 2025/26 campaign instead of keeping him around to compete for a position out wide in his 4-3-3 system.
The German head coach now has Noah Okafor, Brenden Aaronson, Jack Harrison, Wilfried Gnonto, and Dan James at his disposal to play on the left and right flanks.
That is despite concerns over some of them not being up to the task of playing in the Premier League. Per Sofascore, James provided one assist in 24 games and Aaronson managed three in 36 outings in the 2022/23 top-flight campaign, whilst Harrison did not register an assist in 34 league games for Everton last season.
Okafor, meanwhile, is playing in England for the first time after he failed to register a single assist in 15 outings in the Serie A during the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore.
Ramazani has already set up one goal in two games for Valencia in LaLiga, one of Europe’s best leagues, whilst Leeds are still waiting for one of their attackers to record an assist in the Premier League.
Non-penalty xG
0.54
Top 2%
Shots on target
1,84
Top 2%
Goals
0.69
Top 2%
Assists
0.23
Top 20%
Chances created
1.50
Top 32%
Dribbles completed
2.07
Top 15%
As you can see in the table above, the Belgian attacker made the most of his limited minutes in the Championship last season, averaging 0.92 goals and assists per 90.
Ramazani scored six goals and provided two assists in the league, despite only starting seven games, per Sofascore, and it feels like Leeds are currently lacking the attacking spark that he can provide in the final third.
The winger is not the only player shining in a major European league whom the Whites made a mistake with, though, as the club had an even bigger howler by selling an Italian star.
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Leeds had goalkeeper Elia Caprile on their books until Jesse Marsch and Victor Orta decided to sell him to Bari for £1.4m in 2022. That has turned out to be a fairly significant misstep by the club.
Why Leeds made a mistake with Elia Caprile
What the Italian shot-stopper has gone on to achieve in his career in the last three years, since leaving the Whites for £1.4m, shows that the club made a mistake by cashing in on him when they did.
After one season in the Serie B with Bari, Italian giants Napoli swooped to sign him in the summer of 2023 and loaned him out to Empoli for the 2023/24 campaign.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig called Caprile a “superstar” during his time with Bari, as he kept 15 clean sheets. His impressive form carried over to the Serie A, as the shot-stopper saved 75% of the shots on his goal and prevented 0.96 xG across 23 top-flight outings for Empoli.
The 24-year-old star prevented 3.33 xG and saved 70% of the shots on his goal in 22 Serie A games for Napoli and Cagliari combined in the 2024/25 season, which led to him sealing a permanent move to Cagliari in the summer transfer window this year.
Caprile, who is valued at £7.8m by Transfermarkt, has proven himself to be a reliable shot-stopper in the Serie A for several reasons. He has also outperformed new Leeds signing Lucas Perri in the current campaign.
Appearances
3
3
Sofascore rating
7.23
6.07
Saves per game
3.7
1.0
Save success rate
85%
38%
Goals prevented
+0.66
-1.99
Error led to shot/goal
0
0
As you can see in the table above, the former Italy U21 international has been far better as a shot-stopper for Cagliari in the Serie A than the Brazilian has been for the Whites in the Premier League.
Leeds reportedly paid £15.6m to sign Perri from Lyon in the summer, which was a significant investment by the club, but it looks like the player they once let go for £1.4m would be an even better option for them at this moment in time.
Therefore, the Whites had a howler when they allowed Caprile to move on from Elland Road because they let him leave before giving him an opportunity to show his class on the pitch for the club.
That is why the decision to sell him was an even worse decision than the one to loan Ramazani out this summer, because they made a definitive call on the goalkeeper, whilst the Belgian winger is only out on loan and could return in January or next summer.
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Leeds could have had a goalkeeper who has the quality to deliver outstanding performances at the top level between the sticks without having to splash £15.6m on a new shot-stopper if they had kept Caprile, which could have freed up funds for more quality in the attacking areas.