Leeds United, Tarik Muharemović, and the Big Sexy Bosnian

When I wrote my article on El Chadaille Bitshiabu, I included an ode to Pascal Struijk at the beginning. At the time, word on the grapevine was that he would be seeking a new challenge this summer, which naturally led me towards left-sided centre-backs. Despite my shortlist never really extending beyond one player, I always intended to revisit the position once Struijk’s departure was confirmed.

My drafts already contain notes on VfL Wolfsburg’s Konstantinos Koulierakis and Real Betis’ Natan, but Leeds have now been linked with a new name: Tarik Muharemović.

As much as I enjoy diving into dream signings, I know what most of you are here for. You want to read about the players Leeds are actually pursuing. So, let’s get into it.

“Muha” – The Big Sexy Bosnian: Tarik Muharemović

PLAYER PROFILE

Tarik Muharemović is a 23-year-old left-footed centre-back who plays for Sassuolo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Muharemović spent the 2025/26 season playing regularly in Serie A, starting 32 matches and completing more than 2,800 minutes. Those random numbers immediately jump out because he is still young for a centre-back, but he is no longer being judged purely on youth football, Serie C or potential. He has now played a full season against senior forwards in one of Europe’s major leagues, as well as competing successfully (red card aside) for Bosnia and Herzegovina at this summer’s World Cup. 

2025/26 Serie A – Sassuolo

• 10.9 defensive contributions per 90 (4th overall)
• 1.40 interceptions per 90 (20th overall)
• 7.00 clearances per 90 (6th overall)
• 1.00 blocks per 90 (6th overall)

2026 World Cup – Bosnia and Herzegovina

• 18.3 defensive contributions per 90 (1st overall)
• 2.80 interceptions per 90 (3rd overall)
• 14.9 clearances per 90 (1st overall)

His profile is easy to fall in love with. I found it really difficult to pinpoint how tall he actually is, so I decided to go for the biggest number being reported. Because why not. At 6’4” he’s tall, left-footed, comfortable enough in possession and capable of defending a large area with his gangly frame. He can step forward with the ball, pass through pressure and compete in the air. Similar to Pascal Struijk, he is trusted on the ball to begin attacks by passing into midfield or spraying diagonals out wide. 

Ryan Thomas wrote a phenomenal thread on Twitter examining the player back in April. He can be found @UskyBastardNEW and describes Muharemović as a “front footed defender” in that he likes to get close to his opponent, attack the ball and step out of the defensive line when he believes he can intercept. That can make him look dominant when he gets the decision right. At the same time, it can also leave space behind him when he gets it wrong.

Something that we fans must remember when looking at the player is that we’re not being linked with a polished Premier League centre-back. We’re being linked with a young defender who has made significant progress over the last two seasons and whose value is now being driven by age, profile, Serie A experience and international football. It’s 2026 and football prices are crazy. Recent reports have placed Sassuolo’s asking price at around €40 million, or roughly £33 million.

Muharemović has the size, age and left-footedness that recruitment departments tend to value, and that Leeds now need. But he also has areas of his defending that need to be improved. He can be aggressive, but this isn’t always the same as control. He can carry the ball forward, but he is not yet an elite distributor. He can win aerial duels, but he does not dominate every striker he faces. 

At 23, none of that should be surprising. The question is not whether Muharemović is already worth £30 million as a finished defender. He obviously isn’t. The question is whether Leeds believe the player he is now can develop into one.

CAREER CONTEXT

Muharemović’s rise has been incredibly fast. Like most of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team, he wasn’t actually born in the country he represents. Instead, he was born in Slovenia but moved to Austria at a young age, where he came through the academy at Wolfsberger AC before Juventus spotted him in 2021. Rather than taking the traditional route into the first team, he joined Juventus Next Gen, the club’s reserve side, where he spent three seasons learning his trade in Serie C. It’s hardly glamorous, but it proved to be an important stage in his development. He made 57 appearances, became a regular starter and gradually earned opportunities to train alongside Juventus’ senior squad before making his senior international debut for Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2024.

The next step came when Sassuolo took him on loan following their relegation to Serie B. It looked like a sensible move rather than a headline-grabbing one. Muharemović was joining one of the strongest squads in the division under Fabio Grosso, but there were no guarantees that he would play regularly. He earned his place quickly. As the season progressed, he became an increasingly important part of Sassuolo’s defence, scoring in both the Coppa Italia and Serie B as the club secured an immediate return to the top flight. Sassuolo were convinced enough to trigger their option to buy before promotion had even been secured. That already looks like excellent business as they look set to receive a significant fee. 

Rather than needing another year to adapt, Muharemović stepped into Serie A and barely looked out of place. He started 32 league matches during the 2025/26 campaign, established himself as one of Sassuolo’s first-choice centre-backs and signed a new contract until 2031 before the season had even finished. At the same time, he became a regular for Bosnia and Herzegovina and further enhanced his reputation with a series of impressive World Cup performances. 

This is football, and it’s easy to forget just how quickly all of this has happened. Twelve months ago, Muharemović was trying to establish himself in Serie B. Today, he is being linked with fees in excess of £30 million and attracting interest from clubs across Europe, including a possible return to Juventus. That is an extraordinary rise in a very short space of time, but it is also why caution is needed. Centre-backs often improve well into their late twenties. Muharemović has made enormous progress already, yet there is still every chance that his best football is several years away. As fans, we can often get carried away by the price of players, and I’d warn Leeds fans not to expect the finished article simply because we’ll end up paying £30m+. 

PHYSICAL PROFILE

This is what we all want to know though, right? What type of player are we signing? Will he improve Leeds? What should we expect? 

Muharemović is very much the Struijk replacement. He is naturally left-footed, is 6’4” and has the frame to cope with the physical demands of Serie A and international football. One of Muharemović’s biggest strengths is his willingness to defend on the front foot. His first instinct is usually to step in, engage early and stop attacks before they gather momentum. Whether the ball is on the floor or in the air, he backs himself to win the first duel rather than waiting for the game to come to him. But he isn’t the type of defender who relies purely on timing or anticipation. Lots of his game is built around winning duels, using his body well and making life uncomfortable for centre-forwards.

That physicality shows itself most clearly in the air. He attacks crosses aggressively, is comfortable competing against bigger forwards and rarely shies away from contact. His timing is generally good and he uses his body well to establish position before the ball arrives, making him a reliable presence in both penalty areas. Transfermarkt’s Bundesliga expert Tobias Kröger described aerial ability as one of the strongest parts of his game, highlighting both his height and anticipation.

He also plays with an edge. Muharemović is the type of defender who looks like he genuinely enjoys defending. There is a competitiveness about his game that is difficult to teach, and will only enhance Leeds’ squad. 

The flip side is that he is still filling out physically. At 23, he is strong enough to compete at Serie A level, but there are occasions where experienced forwards can roll him or use his aggression against him. He is not yet one of those centre-backs who simply dominates every physical contest through strength alone. That should improve with age, experience and another few years in a professional environment.

Overall, the physical profile is exactly what Premier League clubs look for. He has the size, strength and mentality to compete at a high level. The finer details of his defending still need work, but there are very few concerns about whether he has the physical tools to cope with English football.

ATHLETICISM

Muharemović is an athletic defender, but probably not in the way many people expect.

Because of his height, and long legs, he covers the ground well and is comfortable defending outside his own penalty area. He changes direction well for a player of his size, recovers his position quickly and has enough mobility to operate in a team that wants to defend higher up the pitch. That athleticism has been one of the reasons Sassuolo have been happy to leave him isolated at times against quicker forwards.

But it’s not all positive: he can be beaten over longer distances if an attacker gets the wrong side of him early. Rather than relying on outright pace, Muharemović tends to defend proactively. He wants to anticipate the pass, step in front of his opponent or win the duel before the race even begins. When that works, he makes defending look straightforward. When it doesn’t, he can be left chasing back towards his own goal. 

Some defenders recover mistakes with speed. Muharemović lacks what I would call “natural pace” so he generally tries to avoid mistakes by reading the game well. As he continues to develop, learning when to engage and when to hold his position should reduce the number of situations where recovery pace becomes a factor.

Overall, there is more than enough athleticism here for the Premier League. He is mobile, aggressive and comfortable defending large spaces. The only question is whether his decision-making can continue to improve as the level around him rises.

IN POSSESSION

Being left-footed immediately gives Muharemović value in possession. It opens different passing angles, particularly when building from the left side of the defence, and allows him to play naturally into midfield rather than constantly shifting the ball onto his stronger foot.

He is comfortable receiving under pressure and rarely looks panicked in the first phase of build-up. Rather than forcing play, he is generally patient in possession, happy to wait for passing lanes to develop before playing forward. His passing accuracy inside his own half has been excellent throughout the season, reflecting a defender who values security without becoming overly cautious. 

Like most things in life, there is always room for improvement. For all of his technical ability, he can be too conservative at times. There are situations where the forward pass is available, yet he chooses to recycle possession instead.

Overall, Muharemović is a good passer rather than a great one. He is composed, technically sound and capable of progressing play, but he is not yet dictating games from the back in the way other defenders. At 23, however, the foundations are clearly there.

STRENGTHS

• Left-footed balance
• Aerial duels
• Front-foot defending
• Defensive anticipation
• Ball carrying
• Progressive passing
• Composure

WEAKNESSES

• Positional discipline
• Decision-making
• Recovery pace
• Back-post awareness (Jesse Marsch PTSD)
• Consistency
• Transfer fee

CURRENT LEVEL

Muharemović is a good Serie A centre-back with one full season of top-flight football behind him. He has shown he belongs at that level, but he is still developing and has not yet reached the consistency of the division’s best defenders.

CEILING

The ceiling is a top-level Premier League centre-back. He has the size, left foot, athletic profile and temperament that clubs spend years looking for. If his positional awareness and decision-making continue to improve, there is every chance he develops into a defender capable of playing for a club competing in Europe.

FLOOR

The floor is a solid Premier League defender who never quite justifies a £30 million fee. The physical tools are obvious, but if his reading of the game plateaus, he could become a good defender rather than a great one. At 23, there is still plenty of time for that to go either way.

OVERALL LEEDS VERDICT

Leeds have a significant Big Sexy Pirate shaped hole in the defence at the moment. And in the modern game, left-footed CBs come at a premium.

Muharemović is just that. A young, left-footed, physically imposing CB who already has a full Serie A season behind him. He looks comfortable defending in space, is composed in possession and has all the attributes to develop into a very good Premier League centre-back. Just as importantly, there is still obvious room for improvement. At 23, he should not be the finished article.

Whether he is worth £30 million is a different conversation.

That fee reflects what he could become rather than what he already is. Leeds would not be buying one of Europe’s elite defenders. They would be buying a player with the potential to reach that level if his development continues.

As a replacement for Pascal Struijk, there are similarities. Both are left-footed, both are comfortable bringing the ball out from the back and both prefer to defend on the front foot. Muharemović is the more athletic of the two and is probably better suited to defending large spaces, while Struijk remains the calmer organiser with more Premier League experience and a better understanding of the division.

If Leeds are looking for someone capable of replacing Struijk immediately, there would almost certainly be an adjustment period. If they are looking for someone who could develop into an even better defender over the next three or four years, Muharemović makes far more sense.

Overall, the player is easier to buy into than the price tag. There is enough evidence to suggest Muharemović could become an excellent Premier League centre-back. The question Leeds have to answer is whether they believe that potential is worth investing £30 million in today.

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