Stadium of Light
Plenty of Leeds United signings got supporters excited ahead of the new campaign.
Both James Trafford and Tarik Muharemovic have come in and been exceptional, just as advertised. I’d even argue that Muharemovic has been even better than we all thought he’d be up to this point.
I also know I’m not the only one pleasantly surprised by the impact Nico Elvedi has had since coming in. We all expected the Swiss centre-back to just be a backup option. But so far this season, he’s managed to keep Jaka Bijol out of the team more often than not.
However, not all of our signings have hit the ground running. Leeds United hero Jermaine Beckford recently demanded more from one of our new players, who he described as “special.”
Jermaine Beckford wants to see more from Harry Wilson in a Leeds shirt
Harry Wilson is someone the 49ers have clearly admired for a long time, believing the Welshman will drastically improve Daniel Farke’s options in the final third.
In the summer following our promotion, we came close to signing Wilson. However, the deal ultimately fell through on deadline day. Wilson would then go on to have the best season of his life, scoring 10 goals and providing seven assists in 36 Premier League games for Fulham.
This summer, United finally got their man. The 49ers reportedly fought off competition from fellow Premier League teams as well as teams from overseas to sign Wilson.
But for now, we have yet to see why we went to all that effort to sign the winger.
After a frustrating performance against Sunderland, former Leeds striker Beckford has had his say on Wilson’s start to life with the Whites.
“I was watching the game, and obviously we all know how good Wilson is. We’ve seen him carry Fulham over the last couple of seasons and be special. He’s always been a special type of player,” Beckford told the YEP.
“Brenden Aaronson, we know he’s in there because last season he was towards the top end of the charts for the most turnovers in the final third. So he can bring some of that energy and determination to win the ball back. It was a difficult game for the boys to be involved in.
“On any other day, Daniel Farke would have been hoping to have somebody else in there alongside one of those two rather than throwing them both in. But look, it’s a point. We managed to keep a clean sheet. I do want to see a little bit more from them. Especially Wilson, based on how good he was last season.”
Data confirms Harry Wilson’s drop-off since being at Leeds
Wilson was never expected to come to Leeds and replicate the numbers he put up last season. But it would be remarkable if he could.
However, over the course of his career, Wilson has proved he can chip in with a healthy amount of goals and assists over the course of a season. Especially for a side that is still getting acclimatised to the Premier League.
So far this campaign, Wilson is averaging 0.2 shots, 19.5 touches, 1 key pass, 0.7 crosses, 9.5 passes and 0.3 successful dribbles per 90.
In comparison, last season, Wilson averaged 2.2 shots, 35.1 touches, 1.1 key passes, 0.9 crosses, 17.5 passes and 0.5 successful dribbles per 90. (Sofascore)
When we’ve seen Wilson in a game, it’s not like he’s been terrible on the ball. To me, he just seems to be anonymous and ghosting his way through games.
We need this to change. He was brought in to be that difference maker in the final third, and we all know that is the area where, as a team, we need to improve the most.
Whether it’s a dangerous shot from distance or a killer through ball, we need Wilson to just do something in his next appearance to kickstart his Leeds career.
