Much of the good work that Leeds United have done to push clear of the drop zone this season has been as a result of their recruitment last summer. But that recruitment has still come at a cost for a number of players.
Whilst the likes of Anton Stach, Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have thrived, Wilfried Gnonto, Dan James and Joel Piroe have all been replaced in one way or another.
Anton-Stach-Dominic-Calvert-Lewin
However, the 49ers will argue that they've had to be ruthless to bring Daniel Farke's squad to the required level in the Premier League, and it's hard to argue against that.
Joel Piroe's Premier League struggles
It became apparent from the off that Piroe was not going to be Farke's first choice with a player of Calvert-Lewin's calibre around.
The forward, despite scoring 19 goals in the Championship as Leeds earned promotion last season, found himself watching on from the bench as soon as the former Everton man arrived.
Piroe-Brownhill-Championship-top-scorers 24-25 (timeless)
At the time, it seemed like a harsh decision. After all, why would you drop the player that got you to the Premier League in the first place? Fast-forward almost a year, however, and it's clear to see why it was made. Calvert-Lewin has been an excellent addition and remains a clear upgrade on Piroe.
PL stats P90 25/26 Piroe Calvert-Lewin
Minutes 217 2,029
Goals 0 0.44
Assists 0 0.04
Shots 4.56 2.53
XG 0.36 0.51
The summer signing has outperformed Piroe in every department and when the latter has been given an opportunity, he's simply not been clinical enough.
joel-piroe-leeds-norwich
After interest from Rangers arrived last month, Leeds must sell the forward this summer. But before then, they should prioritise finally selling another attacking flop.
Leeds must finally ditch £11m signing
The year is 2026 and Jack Harrison is still a Leeds player.
He hasn't scored a goal for the club since May 2023, has been on loan at Everton twice and is currently on loan at Fiorentina. It beggars belief that those at Elland Road are still paying the winger's wages, and that must end this summer.
The nail in the coffin for the £11m signing should be Farke's decision to switch to a back five. At the same time that Gnonto and James have been frozen out, it's hard to imagine a world in which Harrison finds a place in Yorkshire next season.
Jack Harrison stats 25/26 24/25 23/24
Games 24 38 36
Goals 0 1 4
Assists 1 1 3
Chances Created 7 33 28
It'll be quite the task shifting a winger who has scored five goals in the last three seasons, but Leeds must do everything to get Harrison off their books - not least because of his salary.
At Elland Road, the American earns a reported £90,000-a-week. That makes him Leeds' second-highest earner behind Calvert-Lewin, despite endless loan spells away from the club.
The Whites are in a position to be ruthless this summer if they stay up and should take full advantage. They've found their system - their secret - to Premier League survival and have the opportunity to be picky over who arrives.
Recent rumours have suggested that they're interested in signing the likes of Jens Petter Haugh and that's the type of quality they should be aiming for.
jack-harrison-fiorentina
The Bodo/Glimt star enjoyed an excellent Champions League campaign, scoring against both Inter Milan and Manchester City, before Sporting Club produced a shock comeback on Tuesday night.
Rumours over the arrival of an attacking midfielder show the direction that Leeds want to head towards and that should concern every wide man at the club.
If Farke is willing to stick to his back five, it will almost certainly spell the end for Harrison as well as Gnonto and James. After scoring just 34 goals for the club in 219 appearances, it's fair to say that Harrison's exit has particularly been on the cards for quite some time.
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