How Leeds could finally replace Piroe in £17m transfer swoop

Leeds United centre-forward Joel Piroe did not play a single minute of the club’s 2-0 win over Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in their last pre-season friendly.

Despite playing two 60-minute matches against the German outfit, the Suriname international was not given any game time by Daniel Farke last weekend.

After the match, the German head coach revealed that the Dutch-born number nine was fit and available for selection, but he decided to go with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha ahead of him.

Calvert-Lewin and Nmecha then scored the two goals that won the friendly match for the Whites, justifying the manager’s decision to pick them ahead of Piroe.

Why Joel Piroe needs to leave Leeds United

The left-footed attacker scored in the 3-2 loss to Wrexham at the start of pre-season, but he has rarely been used since the first-choice strikers returned to contention.

Piroe is coming off the back of a season in which he was rarely called upon by Farke, as he started two of his 16 appearances in the Premier League for the Whites, failing to score any goals in that time.

The 27-year-old marksman was unable to successfully make the transition from Championship to Premier League football, after winning the Golden Boot with 19 goals in the 2024/25 campaign.

Promotion to the top-flight essentially derailed the striker’s career at Elland Road because it meant that he became less and less important to Farke, as his lack of physicality pushed him to the bottom of the pecking order.

Piroe, who lost 76% of his duels in the Premier League, should decide to move on from the club because of the lack of opportunities that he will get this season, and Middlesbrough have already been linked with interest in him this summer.

How Leeds could replace Joel Piroe this month

The addition of another attacker in his position could also push him closer to the exit door, as the club eye up a player who is like an elite-level version of the ex-Swansea man.

According to TheLeedsPress, Farke is looking to add another centre-forward to his squad to compete with Calvert-Lewin and Nmecha in the 2026/27 campaign.

The report claims that Leeds United have identified Burnley striker Zian Flemming as one of their top targets in their pursuit of a new number nine.

It adds that they are now ramping up their pursuit of the Dutch marksman, who is expected to leave the Clarets after their relegation to the Championship.

Flemming, who has been touted at a fee of £17m earlier this summer, would be an excellent addition to the Leeds squad if they can agree a deal with Burnley to snap him up.

This update being that they are now stepping up their interest in the striker suggests that they are serious about a move, which is good news for Farke and bad news for Piroe.

Flemming, who was also born in the Netherlands, is a slower, more traditional, number nine, like Piroe, but he uses his body and physicality far more effectively in the Premier League.

The Dutch star’s success rate in duels on the ground and in the air was far better than the Leeds attacker’s last term, suggesting that he would be a much more effective outlet for Farke in the number nine position.

It is not just the difference in physicality that makes the £17m-rated star an elite-level version of Piroe, though, as he also scored 11 goals from just 7.87 xG in the division.

Flemming has proven that he can score goals on a regular basis in the Premier League, even in a team that got relegated, whilst the Suriname international is yet to score a single top-flight goal.

The Burnley powerhouse has shown that he has both the physicality and the goalscoring prowess to be an effective centre-forward at the elite level in the Premier League, which is why he could be a fantastic signing for Leeds.

He could provide genuine competition for Calvert-Lewin and Nmecha, given his output at Premier League level, whilst Piroe does not look likely to do that this season.

Therefore, the Whites should continue to push to get a deal done for the 27-year-old attacker to land an upgrade on Piroe, who should look for a move away from Elland Road before the end of the window.