Leeds United had a disappointing end to the summer transfer window because they failed to bring in the attacking reinforcements that Daniel Farke wanted for his squad.
The Whites reportedly had a deal agreed to sign Harry Wilson from Fulham on a permanent deal before their Premier League rivals backed out of a move at the last-minute.
Farke did not get any new attackers through the door on deadline day, partly because of the Cottagers pulling the plug late in the day, and will now have to work with what he has at his disposal.
The Championship champions did add attackers in other positions earlier in the summer transfer window, signing Noah Okafor, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Lukas Nmecha.
Leeds won their opening game of the season, against Everton, thanks to a penalty from Nmecha on his debut, but they have failed to score in their two Premier League outings since then.
The centre-forward position is an intriguing one for the Whites because they do not appear to have a clear, standout, starter at this moment in time.
Why Leeds have a striker problem
Farke has a problem with his number nine position because Calvert-Lewin, Nmecha, and Joel Piroe are all fairly unconvincing options on current evidence.
It does not seem realistic to expect any of them to score goals on a regular basis in the Premier League when you consider their form this season and in recent seasons.
Calvert-Lewin, for example, scored three goals in 26 Premier League games for Everton last season, and has failed to score more than seven goals in a league season in each of the last four campaigns, per Sofascore.
The former England international has also missed four ‘big chances’ and missed in a penalty shoot-out against Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup in his first two appearances for Leeds, per Sofascore.
These statistics do not suggest that Calvert-Lewin is likely to establish himself as a regular scorer for the Whites, but his physicality could still give him the edge over Piroe.
Minutes
78
58
Goals
0
0
Key passes
0
0
Assists
0
0
Ground duels won
0/3
0/0
Aerial duels won
1/5
0/3
As you can see in the table above, the Dutch striker struggled badly in the first two games of the season, particularly in physical battles, and was then an unused substitute against Newcastle United.
This has not come as a surprise, though, because Piroe lost a whopping 73% of his duels in the Championship last term, but was able to score 19 goals, per Sofascore, because of how dominant his team were in possession.
Calvert-Lewin, meanwhile, won 45% of his duels and 51% of his aerial contests in the Premier League with the Toffees in the 2024/25 campaign, which suggests that he can provide significantly more to the team as a physical presence up front.
However, the English forward’s lacklustre goal return in recent seasons suggest that there could still be a chance for Piroe to get game time if the former Everton man fails to deliver in front of goal.
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.
Whilst Calvert-Lewin, despite his physicality, may not put an end to Piroe’s career at Elland Road, there is a player in the academy who could make the step up to make the Dutchman reconsider his future in West Yorkshire.
We have seen Rio Nguhoma, 16, and Max Dowman, 15, make their Premier League bows for Liverpool and Arsenal this season, and Leeds could follow suit by unleashing Harry Gray in the top-flight.
Why Harry Gray could end Joel Piroe's Leeds career
Supporters already know his brother’s story and how Farke trusted him to play week-in, week-out in the Championship as a 17 and 18-year-old, which led to him moving to Tottenham Hotspur and winning the Europa League.
Farke handed Harry Gray his debut at the age of 16 against Stoke City in the Championship in April, which shows that the youngster is a player who is in the manager’s mind for the first-team.
The England youth international, who turns 17 next month, has enjoyed a sensational start to the current campaign at U21 level and the manager could end Piroe’s career by taking inspiration from Dowman, Nguhoma, even Lamine Yamal, to unleash Gray in the Premier League.
Analyst Ben Mattinson, as shown in the post above, described the teenage forward as a ‘powerful’ and ‘pacy’ player, two attributes that could make him more effective as a physical presence than Piroe, who would not typically be described as either of those things.
Gray, who has also been described as “the real deal” by Mattinson, also has an impressive goalscoring record to back up his physical attributes in the number nine position.
Appearances
11
11
Minutes
819
848
Goals
8
6
Minutes per goal
102
141
Assists
0
2
As you can see in the table above, the 16-year-old marksman has scored 14 goals in 22 games for the club at U18 and U21 level to date, which speaks to his ability to find the back of the net on a regular basis.
That haul includes three goals and two assists in four matches for the U21s in all competitions during the 2025/26 campaign, showing that he is currently in form and flying in front of goal.
This plays into why now could be the perfect time for Farke to make the bold call to unleash him at Premier League level, because Gray is full of confidence and on fire for the U21s, which could provide him with a fearless and confident attitude to take into the first-team.
If the England U17 international can make that step up, whether it comes now or in the coming months or seasons, then it could spell the end of Piroe’s time at Elland Road.
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The Dutchman was an unused substitute behind Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin last time out and Gray’s emergence in the senior side could leave him struggling to make the bench, and forcing him to consider his future.