It is fair to say that Harry Wilson has not had the start to life at Leeds United that he would have been hoping for when he first arrived at Elland Road in the summer.
The Wales international decided to sign for the Whites after turning down the chance to extend his contract with Fulham, allowing his deal to expire at the start of July.
He produced an impressive return of ten goals and seven assists in the Premier League for the Cottagers in the 2025/26 campaign, which is why he was such an exciting addition for Daniel Farke at the time of his move.
Unfortunately, though, the left-footed attacker has yet to prove that he has what it takes to live up to the legacy of the number ten shirt in West Yorkshire.
Why Harry Wilson has struggled with Leeds this season
Joel Piroe, Crysencio Summerville, and Raphinha were the last three players to don the number ten jersey for Leeds, and all three of them impressed with their attacking contributions, hitting double figures for goals in at least one league season.
Wilson, meanwhile, does not look likely to reach double figures for goals for the Whites in the current campaign after failing to score in his first eight appearances in all competitions.
The Welshman has struggled with Farke’s side because he does not look suited to the physicality, mobility, and intensity that is required to play in the manager’s 3-4-2-1 system.
26/27 Premier League | Harry Wilson | Rank vs RWs |
|---|---|---|
Goals | 0 | Bottom 1% |
Assists | 0 | Bottom 1% |
Successful dribbles | 2 | Bottom 18% |
Duels won | 11 | Bottom 14% |
Duel success rate | 40.7% | Bottom 27% |
Defensive contributions | 17 | Bottom 18% |
Dribbled past | 4x | Bottom 27% |
Wilson ranks incredibly poorly among his positional peers in a host of physical and athletic metrics this season, which illustrates how much he has struggled to deal with the physicality required to play in Farke’s team.
Leeds need players who are strong runners, who can be physically strong, or who can dribble with the ball to get the team up the pitch, and the left-footed winger is none of those things, hence why he has flopped at Elland Road.
Leeds have a teenager who can take Wilson’s number ten shirt
Thankfully, Farke has a young talent currently out on loan who has the potential and quality to come back and snatch the number ten shirt from Wilson in the future.
During the summer transfer window, Leeds opted to send Harry Gray out on loan to Sheffield Wednesday to gain more experience playing first-team football in League One.
The 18-year-old marksman, who was hailed as “the real deal” by scout Ben Mattinson, scored three goals and created two ‘big chances’ in 20 appearances on loan at Rotherham United in the third tier in the second half of last season.
He was a goal machine as a centre-forward at U21 level for the Whites, scoring 15 goals in 21 appearances, but he has been utilised in a different role by the Owls.
Only one of his seven starts in all competitions this season has come in the number nine position, as he has played on both flanks and as a number ten at times.
This positional change suggests that he has the potential to return to Elland Road as an option for one of the dual number ten roles behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin, which means that he could come back and take Wilson’s place in the team.
26/27 League One | Harry Gray | Rank vs LWs |
|---|---|---|
Successful dribbles | 9 | Top 18% |
Duels won | 49 | Top 15% |
Duel success rate | 59.8% | Top 4% |
Aerial duel success rate | 44.4% | Top 31% |
Fouls won | 23 | Top 4% |
Defensive contributions | 16 | Top 47% |
Tackles | 13 | Top 18% |
Whilst Wilson has struggled with the physicality and mobility required to perform for Leeds, Gray has excelled in those areas during his time with Sheffield Wednesday so far.
The England youth international, who recently scored against Wimbledon in League One, is outstanding in physical duels and dribbles, despite being in his first full season as a first-team player at the age of 18.
He has shown immense physicality for his age, ranking in the top 4% of his positional peers for duel success rate, and that suggests that he has the potential to deal with the intensity and physicality of the Premier League as he continues to develop.
Gray has the strength, speed, and dribbling power that Wilson lacks in his game, which is why he would be a perfect fit for one of the two attacking midfield roles behind the striker in the counter-attacking system at Leeds.
Whilst the goals have not been flowing for him this season, scoring once in five league games, his record at youth level suggests that the goals will come for him.
If he can add more consistency in front of goal to go along with his mobility and physicality at the top end of the pitch, Gray could return to Leeds and snatch both Wilson’s place in the side and his number ten shirt number, should he play in a number ten role.
Source: www.footballfancast.com
