Only Joel Piroe can remove the question mark hanging over him as Leeds United return to the Premier League.
It's not just the top-level ability of Leeds United's 2024/25 Championship-winning squad that has come under scrutiny this summer. For many in Daniel Farke's group, until such a time as the transfer window closes, nothing can really be ruled out. Even for Piroe, who led the team in goal scoring last season with 19, the phrase 'everyone has a price' rings true. But Farke's decision to discount Patrick Bamford from his plans, Mateo Joseph's decision to down tools and the fact that Leeds haven't yet gone out and bought the number 9 they want has kept Piroe firmly in the centre of the picture. Even if and when Leeds do bring in a forward, they will not be so blessed with depth that they could consider anything other than silly money for the Dutchman, so he's largely immune from any late-window outgoing movement.
Leeds striker hunt
Leeds' search for a striker is more than a nod in the direction of the need to improve what Farke has up top for the upcoming campaign. Their bid for Rodrigo Muniz fell short and though they have held firm to a hope that Fulham will come to the table once they get a new striker of their own in, the window is closing. Less than a month remains to tick off some of the most important recruitment work of the summer. There is no suggestion and no possibility that they can emerge from this window without adding difference-making quality up top and in forward areas - Farke put voice to the obvious again on Saturday when he said Leeds were not yet good enough offensively for the top flight. Gone are the days when the Championship’s very best could simply be expected to cut it in the Premier League. There are in-betweeners who tear up the second tier and fall short when they take the next step, so you need proven top tier quality. But no matter who comes in and when, Piroe will have a part to play.
And once you start to consider Piroe as a Premier League player, the question of what it is he will be able to contribute becomes a fascinating one. Undeniably the best finisher at the club - right now at least - Piroe came back for pre-season in great shape. He won the bleep test and though he tried to play it off as not such a big deal and not such a surprising outcome, it did raise eyebrows. Whether or not he was intent on making a statement, physical conditioning can at least give you a better chance of coping with the mammoth leap in standard that Leeds are about to experience, endure or suffer.
In the friendlies so far his performances have been pretty familiar. Flitting in and out of games, picking the odd pass through lines and then popping up to score. Two against SC Verl, one against Paderborn and Leeds' only goal of the game against Villarreal. No one, not even his manager, can say if his finishing ability will translate to goals in games against some of the world's best defences and defenders.
"We'll see," said Farke. "It's up to him to prove that he's capable to have a big impact on this level. He has not played so far on this level. It would be a lie if I could give you some guarantees, it's always up to the player. So he came back - this was important - in a good fitness shape, really good endurance and he has worked hard during the summer break. He's had a really good pre-season so far and has already proved in the games against Man United and Villarreal, two opponents on a top level, that he is competitive. He has to show this in this league. Friendlies are friendlies, he has to show this when the real competitive games start. But he has all the chances, all the backing from us, and we hope of course that he has a similar impact to last season. I could do with 20 goals. Not that I will predict this but the sky's the limit for every one of my players."
Farke went as far as to list the difficulties Piroe will encounter when the real stuff kicks off in just under two weeks' time. But the same is true of every player in a Leeds shirt who is yet to play football in the Premier League.
"It's never easy and more physical and the game is quicker and there's more intensity, and there are always question marks for all the players who have never played there," said Farke. "It's always up to them to prove their worth on this level, but we'll see what the outcome is."
Piroe raring to go
As far as Piroe is concerned, the sooner the chance arrives to start putting the question mark to bed, the better. He was sick of pre-season inside two days but recognises the value in giving the Premier League season the respect it deserves and preparing accordingly.
"To be fair, I would say the first couple of days, like when we have to do all the running stuff, that's always the most boring part, in my opinion," he said. "We have some nice games lined up, and we just want it to start even faster, but at the same time, it's also a good time to work on things that aren't going as well as we want to, and there's now the time to work on it, to be fully prepared for the season."
Speaking to the YEP during the club's training camp in Germany, Piroe admitted that the biggest difficulty in the top flight would be matching last season's tallies of goals [19] and assists [7] because defenders and opposition teams will be so much better. Chances will be at a premium compared with the Championship, where he missed 13 good ones last season and still won the Golden Boot. But the biggest chance of all will be simply playing in the English top flight. Whether he takes it is anyone's guess.
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