Compared with the likes of Mark Viduka and Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, he might not be quite as ruthless in front of goal, but certainly as far as this modern era is concerned, he is among the best.

He is following in the footsteps of some Elland Road heroes. Think Viduka, think Tony Yeboah, think Jermaine Beckford; he's surely now up there with all of them.

Since trading Merseyside for Yorkshire, he has found the net on 19 occasions in 46 games and he's only getting better.

How Calvert-Lewin has defied the doubters at Leeds

Just over a year ago Leeds signed Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer.

The nature of the deal hardly commanded excitement. This was an injury-prone player released by Everton, someone who hadn't exactly set the Premier League alight in recent years.

Prior to his move to Elland Road, the centre-forward had scored just 11 times in the last two seasons. Calvert-Lewin was low on confidence and he'd lost his spark.

As a result, fans were rather sceptical about the deal, particularly as they had also signed Lukas Nmecha on a free transfer. After sealing promotion, this was hardly the way to go about adding goals to your team. Well, how wrong were we?

He has defied the doubters. As Daniel Farke put it last season, he is "the best English striker in the Premier League" and while he did miss out on a place at the World Cup, he is now back in the England squad for the latest round of international fixtures.

That is a fine reward for his early-season form. Having netted 15 times last term during his debut year at Leeds, he has only gone from strength to strength this time around.

In the striker's first seven games of 2026/27, he has scored four times. It's the type of form that could well power Farke's men to a European place come the end of the season.

The worry would be how they would cope if he got injured, but there is a striker behind him in the pecking order who looks set to break out in the next few years.

Leeds are brewing their next number 9

When it comes to the centre-forward position, Leeds have a fine recent history of producing very good number 9s.

Calvert-Lewin is the latest in a long list of strong finishers to tread the Elland Road grass. However, who could be the next?

Well, it's unlikely to be the aforementioned Nmecha given his lack of game time. He has played just 64 minutes in the Premier League this season.

So, how about the brother of Archie Gray? Harry Gray is his name and just like his sibling, he's an exceptionally talented young player.

Archie left Leeds for Spurs in the summer of 2024 but Harry is still very much knocking on the first-team door back at Leeds.

Aged just 17, the centre-forward hasn't quite made the riproaring breakthrough that his brother did in West Yorkshire but there's no doubting that he's going to progress into a fine talent. He already is.

Having played just once for the Leeds senior team, he is now out on loan at Sheffield Wednesday in League One. Gray has played four times in the third tier, starting two games without scoring, so it has been a slow start. Yet, do not be surprised to see him scoring regular goals soon.

Indeed, he is still very much growing into his skin in the senior game. A loan spell in the same division last season at Rotherham saw him score three times in 20 matches which isn't bad for a player of his age. That was the first time he had ever played regular first-team football. Still, he earned huge acclaim and had plenty of eyeballs watching him.

Speaking during his time at Rotherham, manager Matt Henshaw said: "There were a few eyebrows raised when a 17-year-old kid (came here). Leeds fans think a lot of him. I know there’s a lot of media hype around him and we must get 60 scout requests every week. He’s a big talent with a big future."

At youth level, he's been lighting up academy pitches for years. For Leeds U21s, the teenager has bagged 15 goals in 22 appearances. He certainly knows where the back of the net is.

The hope for Leeds will be that he times his development just right so that when Calvert-Lewin moves on, Gray is ready to step and take the number 9 away from him.

Hailed as "one of England’s best prospects in his generation" by Como scout Ben Mattinson, there is plenty of hype around the young striker. The challenge now is to show what he can do in the Football League on a more consistent basis. Thrive there and the number 9 shirt will surely be ready and waiting for him in the forthcoming years.