Leeds United will need to strike a fine balance upon their arrival to the Premier League with a whole host of players at Daniel Farke’s disposal ready for the challenge that the top-flight will bring.
But, the transfer window will also give the promoted Whites the opportunity to offload some personnel that just won’t cut it in the top-flight, with faces such as Patrick Bamford perhaps wary about their long-term futures subsequently.
There are also a few bodies that will be given chances in the top-flight having never previously played there, with Joel Piroe hopeful his goalscoring exploits in the Championship can carry over to the daunting new division.
Piroe's goalscoring form in the second tier
The ex-Swansea City man has endured an up-and-down season in West Yorkshire, but the Dutchman would deliver the goods in emphatic style during Leeds’ last match to secure promotion.
Indeed, Piroe would help himself to a jaw-dropping four strikes during the Whites’ ridiculous 6-0 triumph over Stoke City, which took the 25-year-old’s overall goal count in the league up to a hefty 19.
These all-important strikes versus the Potters have also bumped Piroe’s position up to be the current top scorer in the Championship, which is an incredible feat considering the 6 foot 1 striker has suffered from barren patches of form in front of goal, away from putting in faultless displays.
Before this four-goal show stole all the headlines, Piroe had failed to find the back of the net across his last nine second tier outings, with the 25-year-old also squandering a sizeable 12 big chances across the full season.
Still, he has shown for large patches of the campaign that he deserves a fair crack at the Premier League. But, Farke and Co might well already be brewing a potential future upgrade on the number ten with this highly rated youngster.
Leeds' future upgrade on Piroe
Farke will likely want to land some new bodies up top to help Piroe, with names such as Evan Ferguson already being linked with a switch to West Yorkshire.
But, down the line, away from adding in some fresh attackers, the German could call upon Harry Gray as another option to lead the line, with the 16-year-old already making waves in the first team ranks this campaign.
Gray would be handed his senior debut during the 6-0 demolition job of the Potters, with the teenager hopeful he can follow in his brother Archie’s footsteps in becoming a first-team regular under the ex-Norwich City manager soon after his introduction to the men’s ranks.
After all, football journalist Phil Hay has stated in the past that the hotshot possesses “masses of potential”, meaning he could be just what Leeds need when searching for exciting attackers that can one day usurp Piroe.
U18s
11
8
0
U21s
7
3
0
First team
1
0
0
As can be seen looking at the table above, Gray certainly has the same goalscoring knack as Piroe playing for the U18s and U21s, with a mightily impressive 11 goals picked up from just 18 appearances.
Therefore, if he can be as deadly as this in the senior ranks one day, he will no doubt be viewed as an upgrade on his Dutch counterpart, with a worry already in the air that the £10m attacker will struggle to settle into his new Premier League environment.
If he does struggle, it’s extremely unlikely that Gray will be called into action straight away, but expect the teenage sensation to slowly but surely become a homegrown favourite at his boyhood employers if everything goes to plan.
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