Forget Piroe! Leeds Eye £30M ‘Goalmouth Monster’ – The Upgrade They Need?
Forget Piroe! Leeds Eye £30M ‘Goalmouth Monster’ – The Upgrade They Need?
Leeds United will be playing Premier League football in the 2025/26 campaign after they secured their promotion from the Championship earlier this month.
The Whites celebrated their ascension to the top-flight after Burnley’s win over Sheffield United on Easter Monday, which came shortly after their own 6-0 win over Stoke City at Elland Road.
Daniel Farke and his staff will now be looking ahead to the summer transfer window, although there is still one more match to play against Plymouth Argyle at Home Park this afternoon.
It is going to be a critical summer of business for the West Yorkshire outfit because they know that they have to build a squad that is capable of avoiding an instant relegation from the Premier League.
This means that the players in the current squad will be under the microscope as Farke will have to judge which players are good enough to make the step up, and which of them will need to be replaced with better talents.
One of the stars whose place in the squad is up in the air heading into next season is centre-forward Joel Piroe, who is unproven at Premier League level.
Why Joel Piroe may not be Premier League quality
There is no doubt that the former Swansea star has been a key player for the Whites in this promotion-winning campaign with his goals and assists.
Piroe has racked up 19 goals and seven assists in 45 appearances in the Championship so far this term, and is currently the top scorer in the division – leading by two goals – ahead of the final round of matches today.
This shows that the Dutchman has been the most effective goalscorer in the second tier, as no one has scored more than him, but that does not guarantee that he will be a success in the Premier League.
Sammie Szmodics (27), Adam Armstrong (21), and Leeds’ Crysencio Summerville (19) ended the 2023/24 campaign as the top three scorers in the Championship, and all went on to play in the Premier League this season.
This season, Szmodics (four), Armstrong (two), and Summerville (one) have combined for seven goals in the Premier League for their respective clubs, which illustrates just how big the gap is between the second and the first tier.
| 24/25 Championship | Joel Piroe |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 45 |
| Goals | 19 |
| Assists | 7 |
| Duels won per game | 1.6 |
| Ground duel success rate | 33% |
| Aerial duel success rate | 20% |
| Stats via Sofascore | |
As you can see in the table above, Piroe has made an impact at the top end of the pitch, but he has also been dominated in physical battles.
This suggests that he could fall the same way as the likes of Szmodics, Armstrong, and Summerville, who are all slight in frame, by failing to make the step up to the Premier League.
Leeds eyeing up Premier League striker
The Whites could, however, sign a striker who is way better than Piroe as they are reportedly keen on a star who has already proven himself in the Premier League.
According to The Boy Hotspur, as relayed by MOT Leeds News, Leeds United are one of a number of clubs to have shown an interest in Tottenham Hotspur centre-forward Richarlison.
Get more related news on: https://sportviewers.com
Leave a Reply