The past few years have been a whirlwind for Leeds United, with Daniel Farke the man who has led the club through all the highs and lows that come with professional football.
Defeat in the play-off final to Southampton in the 2023/24 campaign was cause for concern within the foundation, as many expected many of their key players to leave.
Such fears were realized during the 2024 summer transfer window, with the likes of Georginio Rutter, Crysencio Summerville and Archie Gray all leaving Elland Road.
However, fans were given memories to last less than 12 months later, as the Whites won the second division title by 100 points to return to the Premier League.
The loss of the players mentioned above seemed to be a blessing for striker Joel Piroe who was able to rise to the top and drive the team back to where it belongs.
Why Joel Piroe needs to be sold by Leeds this summer
As previously mentioned, striker Piroe fired Leeds out of the Premier League last season, after which he scored 19 times – the most of any player in this division.
However, the 2025/26 campaign has been one to forget for the 26-year-old, with the striker quickly reversing Farke’s record-setting order a few months ago.
The approach of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha, who have scored 16 league goals between them, has seen league minutes hard to come by for this Surinamese player.
After 32 games, he has made just 13 appearances in the league, and only two of those have been played – totaling just 217 minutes so far.
Piroe has been given chances to shine in the FA Cup so far this campaign, but squandered the opportunity as he missed his penalty against West Ham United.
Noah Okafor, another signing last summer, has also been at the forefront of Farke’s plans, as his two goals against Manchester United pushed Piroe away.
Piroe is not just an expanding asset for Leeds
It’s a sad sight to see Piroe now go down at Leeds, but ultimately, he’s a player who can no longer make a difference at the highest levels.
Because of this, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if the 26-year-old is sold this summer, with officials looking to recoup the hefty £15m they paid him in 2023.
Any money raised from his sale will allow the board to reinvest in the first-team squad and continue to strengthen more areas ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
However, Piroe will not be the only player to leave Elland Road in the coming months, with many other players not at the level required to succeed.
Goalkeeper Lucas Perri was also included in the team when the window for the exchange of players was opened, considering that the player who hit the ball could improve the situation between the sticks.
The Brazilian arrived from Lyon for around £14m, but such a move has proved disastrous for both sides – as seen by his recent drop in minutes.
The 28-year-old started this campaign as the Whites’ best forward, but recently suffered a similar injury to Piroe’s and went down as the manager’s choice.
|
Lucas Perri – PL stats (2025/26) |
|
|---|---|
|
Mathematics (90 percentile) |
Statistics |
|
Games played |
16 |
|
Minutes played |
1440 |
|
Clean sheets |
3 |
|
Goals scored |
3 |
|
Terms are blocked |
-0.14 |
|
Pass accuracy |
53% |
|
Saving done |
2.3 |
|
Penalty goals were scored |
4 |
Perri has not started a league game since the 4-3 defeat against Newcastle United back in January, with his minutes following in the FA Cup.
Karl Darlow has taken over as the team’s main option in goal, with the Wales international proving the manager made the right decision in making the switch.
The 35-year-old has now started each of his last 11 games in England’s top flight, but produced arguably one of his best performances in the recent win over Man Utd.
He made six saves during the victory, while blocking xG of 0.80, with such a performance kept the Whites in the game and got three points.
Perri’s future at the club is now looking bleaker as each week passes, the management need to sell him to avoid losing money on their investment.
His quality ultimately failed to shine through at Elland Road, such a deal providing a stark reminder of the risk a club can take in signing players during the transfer window.
The sale of the Brazilian and Piroe this summer will no doubt provide Farke with significant funds to improve the squad and hopefully push for Premier League survival at the end of May.
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