Leeds in the race to sign “prolific” £15m EFL star, just imagine him with Sinisterra – opinion

Leeds United have started to put the pieces together this summer after a slow start to the transfer window, and have identified Swansea City striker Joel Piroe as Daniel Farke prepares for the Championship.

Have Leeds signed a new striker?

According to Last Word on Sports, Farke’s Whites are in a two-horse race for Piroe, aged 23, with Southampton – the latter swiping Swansea’s manager Russell Martin in June.

Football Insider have corroborated the claims and revealed that the Swans will accept a bid of around £15-20m for the Dutch forward, though whether any interested party meets this fee with the player entering the final year of his contract is uncertain.

The free-scoring ace boasts a laudable goal record in England’s second tier and would be an ideal addition to a side challenging for promotion this season, and a bid will likely be forthcoming, with the season less than one week away.

Should Leeds sign Joel Piroe?

49ers Enterprises completed their takeover from Andrea Radrizzani less than two weeks ago at Elland Road, having already owned 44% of the side.

Now with deep-dyed jurisdiction over the club’s transfer dealings, Ethan Ampadu and Karl Darlow have been signed from Chelsea and Newcastle United respectively to set the ball in motion after relegation from the Premier League this year, but the striking department still yearns for a fresh face.

Rodrigo, who scored 13 league goals last term, has departed for Qatar, while Patrick Bamford scored just four goals in the top-flight; Piroe would revitalise the ranks and provide the west Yorkshire side with a “prolific” new focal point, as he has been described by content creator Benjamin Bloom.

Indeed, since joining City from PSV in 2021, Piroe has plundered 41 goals from 88 outings in the Championship and would offer the consistency and cutting edge that Leeds need to ensure their trip back into the second tier is merely a sojourn.

And given that he also ranks among the top 3% of forwards across Men’s Next Eight divisions for pass completion and the top 17% for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref, Farke would rest assured with the knowledge that he wields a slick and cohesive new centre-forward adept at anchor play – complementing the German’s possession-based approach.

His arrival would no doubt comfort the effervescent Luis Sinesterra, who only started 13 times last season, scoring five goals, in an injury-disrupted campaign.

Despite this, his goal-scoring record when he did find his way onto the grass has left him ranking among the top 4% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals per 90, with his own passing prowess displayed through his ranking among the top 15% for pass completion.

The £65k-per-week Colombian has previously been hailed as an “animal” by compatriot Juan Cuadrado, and could find his shooting boots with regularity with Piroe not only taking the striking burden but providing his attack-focused teammates with channels into the danger areas, utilising his top-notch ball-playing skills.

Newspaper AS have claimed that the 24-year-old is set to stay at Elland Road which certainly comes as a major boost to Leeds’ prospects at clinching promotion this season, and if Farke can get a deal for Piroe over the line too and refine the club’s attacking impetus – consequently hampering Southampton’s hopes at a successful term too – it could kickstart a new era at the club.