Leeds United
Leeds United signed two center forwards this summer; Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Fans had called for improvements in that area of the pitch before they reached the Premier League.
The calls started in the middle of the season in the Championship when Joel Piroe went on a goal drought. The Leeds striker still finished as the top scorer in the competition on the way to promotion. But this season, Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin have grabbed the headlines with their goals, while Piroe has been relegated to the bench for almost the whole season.
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Updated: February 17, 2026 | Premier League 2025/26 vs Championship 2024/25
Tony Dorigo worried about Leeds United star
Former Leeds United man Tony Dorigo has opened up about Joel Piroe this season. He believes that the striker is currently out of the team because of the style of play under Daniel Farke this season:
“I think as a player, you always back yourself. Wherever you go, you back yourself.” he said speaking to The Yorkshire Post.
“Actually, I think of Kalvin Phillips as being the best example of that.
“He was the best midfielder in England. Of course, he’s got to think he can go to Manchester City and make the step up. And he’s right to do that. Unfortunately, sometimes it does not work out.
“With Piroe, I think if you look last season, he was clearly our best finisher. You put him in the right areas, he is an amazing finisher, he’s got calmness, but I think the way that we play, it doesn’t really ideally suit his characteristics.
“At times, we’re starting to go a little bit longer and of course, Calvert-Lewin in the air, that physicality is so important.
“Piroe isn’t that type of player, so you can see why, unfortunately, he will not start many games because of the way that we play.
“If you think two, three, four seasons in advance, we play a different style, we have a lot of possession, then he could come more into the reckoning.
“But at the moment, it’s difficult. And that’s why Nmecha will play and that’s why Calvert-Lewin will play. It must be frustrating for him.”
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Joel Piroe has been unlucky this season
Dorigo is right; Daniel Farke even mentioned why Piroe had been out of the team so far this season. Leeds are now in a league where they do not dominate possession and control games, so they do not necessarily need the striker’s finishing. In the Championship, they were one of the better teams with the ball and creating chances, so Piroe thrived.
But in the Premier League, they need a focal point who likes to get physical with defenders and can bring the team up the pitch. Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha have excelled at this, and that is why they are the regular starters.