Leeds United striker Joel Piroe has broken his silence after a chaotic January transfer window, which eventually saw him stay at Elland Road. At various points last month, the Dutchman was linked with both Celtic and Rangers, however a January move didn’t come to fruition.
For Celtic, it didn’t help that Leeds Owner, Paraag Marathe is Vice Chairman of their bitter rivals, while for The Light Blues, Piroe knocked back the move as he wanted to fight for his place back in Daniel Farke’s squad. The 26-year old remains behind experienced marksman Dominic Calvert-Lewin and summer signing Lukas Nmecha in the selection pecking order at number nine and has been limited to just 11 Premier League appearances.
In comparison to last season, he played every game of Leeds’ EFL Championship charge, scoring 29 times. Piroe’s decision to stay at Leeds has been seen as a snub by some, but the striker is adamant he wants to prove himself at Elland Road.
“I wanted to fight for my place back in the starting XI at Elland Road,” Piroe said in an interview with Dutch media. “You never know, what if an opportunity arises that you can’t say no to? But personally, I’m not really keen on making a move this winter. If I have to make a transfer, I’d rather join during pre-season and get fully prepared for a new adventure.”
Piroe added, “But I’m not thinking about leaving right now. I still want and can be of value to Leeds and contribute to staying out of the relegation zone. I feel like I’m definitely not far off getting more minutes [at Leeds]. But it’s sometimes difficult to convince someone to give you more chances to show that you’re taking the right steps.”
However, thus far, his decision hasn’t paid off as Piroe has only started one game against Derby County in the FA Cup, while his only league action was a five minute cameo against league leaders Arsenal, in a match they were already 4-0 down.
Leeds manager Daniel Farke has praised Piroe’s abilities, calling him a “world class” finisher. “If you want to have a player with the ball in front of his feet 20 yards out, I would always go for Joel Piroe, because he’s an unbelievable finisher,” Farke said earlier in the season. “In these terms, he is really world class. But on this level, you have to accept that we can’t always play the striker position that dominant. Sometimes, different skills are asked for.”
Piroe joined Leeds in 2023 for a fee of around £10m from Swansea City, where he had scored over 20 goals in a season for the Welsh side two years running. However, with his minutes now diminished, it could be a classic case of a player being too good for the Championship, but not quite being able to cut it in the Premier League.