Tarik Muharemovic wins Leeds fans and praise after Elland Road debut, Grayson cites Chiellini influence
Tarik Muharemovic endeared himself to Leeds supporters on his debut in a friendly against RB Leipzig at Elland Road in July, former Leeds manager Simon Grayson recalled. Three months into a five-year contract, the 23-year-old centre-back has become a central figure in Leeds’ defence and prompted transfer speculation over how long the club can retain him.
Muharemovic joined Leeds in July from Sassuolo for £34.1m, becoming the club’s most expensive defender after replacing Pascal Struijk, who moved to Brighton for £20m. The 6ft 4in left-footed centre-back had only one season in Europe’s top leagues before the transfer, a point that prompted some supporters to question the fee: "He's the right profile but the price is a bit steep," one wrote, while another added, "Seems like another sensible addition although the fee is eye-watering."
Former Leeds striker Lucy Ward said: "Muharemovic has done that well that there will already be clubs looking at him, trying to nick him over the next few months," and BBC podcast presenter Jonny Buchan warned: "There could be a fear he is a one-year wonder with Leeds in that he does that well in the Premier League, raises his profile that much, that clubs will come for him." Reported interest has come from Barcelona, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, while observers have praised his no-nonsense defending and aerial presence at both ends.
Grayson described Muharemovic as a "rock-like" presence and pointed to the defender's affinity with the club: "I'm not daft enough to think he doesn't have aspirations to one day play for some of the biggest clubs in the world," he told BBC Sport. "But right now? Sometimes a player is at home with a certain club and I get that feeling with Muharemovic. I get the impression he loves Leeds, he loves the city and he loves the supporters." Fans have responded visibly — after Leeds beat Newcastle 4-1 in September Muharemovic shouted into the TV cameras, "United are back, United are back", and supporters have dubbed him 'The Bosnian Brick Wall'.
On the field, Muharemovic has combined defensive work with goal contributions, registering three goal contributions (one goal, two assists) in 10 league and cup appearances and producing the backheeled assist for Dominic Calvert-Lewin against Newcastle that drew attention to his technical skill. He won aerial challenges on his Premier League debut away at Nottingham Forest on 22 August and has made more headed clearances in the top-flight this season than anyone else. Former Leeds and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson said: "The biggest compliment you can pay Muharemovic is that nobody is talking about Struijk leaving. "Muharemovic is an example of the manager being allowed to sign players that fit into his system. He plays in a back three on the left-hand side and is left-footed. "He has been an outstanding signing."
Muharemovic's early career saw him born in Slovenia, raised in Austria and make his professional debut aged 18 for Wolfsberger in the Austrian Bundesliga in 2021. After six senior appearances he was signed by Juventus and went on to feature 57 times for their Next Gen side in Serie C, training with first-team defenders Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini but not making a senior appearance; "It's hard to become a first-team player at Juventus," he said about his time in Turin. He later moved to Sassuolo, initially on loan in 2024 before a permanent transfer, and helped the club to 11th place on their return to Serie A.
Muharemovic drew significant attention at the World Cup when, during Bosnia-Herzegovina's 2-0 defeat to co-hosts the United States in the last 32 on 2 July, he was fouled by Folarin Balogun; Balogun received a red card after a video review. That decision normally would have ruled Balogun out of the subsequent game against Belgium, but United States President Donald Trump contacted Fifa president Gianni Infantino requesting the decision be reviewed and a disciplinary committee then suspended Balogun's ban, allowing him to play in the last-16 game, with Belgium the 4-1 victors. Muharemovic reflected on the media attention: "After this tackle, the media was exploding," Muharemovic told The Athletic. "I was everywhere. Every media site. I just thank God that I came out of it without an injury." He also speaks Bosnian, German, English, Italian and Slovenian, and said of his father's support: "My dad loves it," said Muharemovic. "He comes to every game, every away game. "In Italy he also went to all the home games and some of the away games, but I think this year he said he can't miss any of the Premier League games."
Leeds head to Bournemouth on Saturday (15:00 GMT).
