This was a statement summer for Leeds United. They spent a lavish sum of money to prise Tarik Muharemovic from Italian football to the tune of a whopping £34.1m.

He's been a cracking signing, and while the Whites deserve immense praise for the vast majority of their recruitment since being promoted, Harry Wilson is one of the few players who hasn't set the world alight.

It's a puzzling situation for the Welshman. Last season, he was truly one of the best players in the Premier League.

Why Leeds signed Harry Wilson

Leeds supporters know better than most not to turn their nose up at a free transfer.

Just over a year ago, the Elland Road recruitment team convinced Dominic Calvert-Lewin to trade Everton for Leeds. He was out of contract in Merseyside and had his pick of clubs.

It is in Yorkshire where he's found a home for himself. What a signing he has been. In 2026/27, he has four goals in seven games and was described as the "best English striker in the Premier League" last season by Daniel Farke.

As a result, the signing of Wilson on a free was smart business on paper.

In 2025/26, there were very few better wingers in the top flight than the Welshman. In a Fulham side that was not exactly packing many punches, he netted 11 goals and supplied eight assists.

Possessing a dazzling left foot, he left many a full-back bamboozled by his play.

Considering output from wingers at Leeds who weren't named Noah Okafor last season, it made sense to strengthen in that position. Sadly, it has not quite happened for the 29-year-old at Elland Road.

Why Harry Wilson has struggled at Leeds

While no transfer fee was paid for Wilson's services, this felt like a statement signing. Many within in the Premier League were courting the forward but it was at Leeds where he ended up.

Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise for the likes of Aston Villa and Everton, who were also looking at him, that they missed out.

Indeed, Wilson has struggled big time since arriving, so much so that he is yet to score in his six appearances. He has one assist to his name - that came in the Carabao Cup.

He's not even a regular in the starting XI. Wilson was not in the squad for the Crystal Palace clash and didn't start matches against Brighton and Newcastle. He played just 17 minutes versus the Seagulls and only managed another 18 minutes in the 4-1 win against the Magpies.

It spoke volumes about how well Leeds are playing that they were able to fire home four goals without Wilson for the vast majority of the game.

That's also rather damning on his own performances. He does rank among the top 15% of wingers in the league for chances created per 90 minutes with 2.47 but he's only among the best 40% for successful dribbles per 90 and the worst 70% for touches in the opposition's box.

Furthermore, only 3% of positionally similar players in the league have had fewer shots per 90 than Wilson's tally of 0.62.

So, is it time to look towards the future?

How Leeds can replace Harry Wilson long-term

In the first two Premier League matches of the season, Wilson operated as an attacking midfielder behind Calvert-Lewin.

However, in recent weeks, Noah Okafor has been preferred ahead of the Welshman. Given the system Leeds operate with - a flat 3-5-2 - that makes sense.

The Swiss showcased last season that when at the peak of his powers, he is one of the most threatening players in the squad. In his last seven matches of 2025/26, Okafor netted six goals.

So, for now, Wilson will have to settle for a place on the bench. In truth, he's not really deserving of the famous no.10 shirt that was handed to him in the summer.

Who is? Well, it may take a bit of time for him to get his feet under the table at senior level but Leeds have a wonderkid behind the scenes who is making all of the right noises.

He goes by the name of Harvey Vincent and he's had an exceptional start to the new season.

A right winger by trade, much like Wilson, Vincent was recently nominated for the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award for September and for good reason too.

This month, he has scored once and provided three assists in just two games. Across the whole campaign thus far, the 19-year-old has two goals and five assists in seven appearances.

It's a particularly good start when you consider Vincent's displays last season; he netted just four times in 17 matches and no official assists were recorded.

So, beyond the goal contributions, what's the teenager all about? Well, he ranks among the finest 5% of positionally similar players in Premier League 2 this season for assists per 90 minutes. He also ranks among the best 7% for big chances created per 90 with 0.75.

He's a fine dribbler too. Only 20% of positionally similar players have completed more dribbles per 90 minutes than Vincent, who averages 1.25 in PL2 this term.

Young Vincent is yet to play a first-team game but if he continues to deliver impressive performances in this manner, it won't be long before he's being considered by Farke.

He looks like a true replacement for Wilson, someone who could well don the number 10 shirt in the years to come. Watch this space; Vincent looks like the real deal.