SerpApi.Org
Leeds United’s age-old problem of trying to shift out-of-favour players looks like it won’t end anytime soon following developments with Joel Piroe and Largie Ramazani.
Striker Piroe made 21 appearances for Leeds last season but dig a little deeper, and the true story of his campaign becomes quite clear.
The 26-year-old failed to score in any of his 16 Premier League games, with the forward racking up just 246 minutes of football in the English top-flight.
He scored one solitary goal in all competitions, a neat finish against Championship outfit Norwich City in the FA Cup. But despite being behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Lukas Nmecha and Noah Okafor in the attacking pecking order, Piroe seemingly wants to fight for his place at Elland Road.
After being selected for their pre-season tour in the United States, the former Swansea City star told Flashscore, “I just want to prove myself with Leeds in the Premier League. I had a little bit of the feeling that I didn’t want to run away from the challenge (in January).
“If the start is not going as I want it to, then after just half a season to run away from the challenge – that didn’t feel right as well. And I thought to myself, ‘Why run away after half a season when you have not experienced a full season in the Premier League?’ I still see my future there (at Leeds).”
To many Leeds fans, this will come across as a bit misguided. The 49ers are looking to sign another striker this summer, which will surely push Piroe further down the pecking order.
He is into the last 12 months of his Elland Road deal, although there is an option to extend a further year. Many would argue the Surinamese international needs to go out and play regular football elsewhere but so far, it seems that Championship clubs are in for him – which may not be to his liking.
Piroe makes Leeds exit feelings clear
Piroe, who joined the Yorkshire outfit in mid-2023 for a fee worth up to £16m, will assess his situation in the coming weeks ahead of the new season but his Leeds adventure may not be over.
He added, “Of course, when pre-season starts, I will see and feel a bit more about what the club thinks as well. But for now, I just want to present myself in a way where I can show these are the steps I’ve made in comparison to last season.
“And if it’s good enough and I get the chances, then I would be really happy. And if it’s not the case, then we will see what will happen.”
If Leeds were unable to move on Piroe, who is said to be on wages between £40-45k a week, this would be another example of the club being incapable of shifting on its deadweight properly.
When Leeds were relegated to the Championship in 2023, many players fled the Whites’ sinking ship, including Marc Roca, Rasmus Kristensen, Diego Llorente, and Robin Koch. And when some of their failed Premier League operatives were put up for sale, Leeds ended up moving them on for free, for vastly reduced fees, or they cancelled their contracts.
The latest example of this is Max Wober, who had a dismal spell at Leeds after signing for £10m in January 2023. After some unproductive loan stints, the Whites terminated his contract a year early, with the Austrian then signing for Schalke.
Illan Meslier was once highly regarded before Leeds’ relegation several years ago and in the end, he left on a free, before bizarrely signing as a third-choice goalkeeper at Arsenal.
Leeds recruited Largie Ramazani for around £10m from Almeria in August 2024, but over time, he fell out of favour with Daniel Farke, and now the winger has been left out of the club’s pre-season trip stateside.
The 25-year-old spent last season on loan at Valencia and now he is keen to return, with the Spanish side hopeful the Premier League outfit lower their price tag.
Leeds will not want to make much of a loss on their initial outlay, but if they are unable to move on Piroe and Ramazani, in addition to making a loss on Wober and struggling to shift on Jack Harrison, the 49ers should consider it something of a failure.
Indeed, the worrying transfer patterns of 2023, which happened under the old Andrea Radrizzani regime (when the 49ers were minority owners), may not completely have left the club.
Want more breaking news and transfer lines from original sources? Add TEAMtalk as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.
