Leeds United head into the January transfer window with a clearer sense of direction, placing renewed focus on strengthening their attacking options as they aim to reinforce their push for Premier League survival.
An improved run of results has brought greater stability to the campaign and relieved some of the pressure on Daniel Farke, but questions remain over the squad’s overall balance. The Leeds boss has already added Facundo Buonanotte to the squad this month.
That requirement has been sharpened by recent tactical tweaks. A shift to a 5-3-2 formation has placed greater emphasis on having a reliable goalscorer, while a lack of depth in forward areas has further highlighted the need for reinforcements.
Meanwhile, unease is building among supporters regarding the future of Joel Piroe. He has attracted interest from Middlesbrough in the Championship, but Celtic’s interest in the striker is serious.
49ers have blocked Celtic from signing Leeds United striker Joel Piroe
Celtic are interested in signing the Leeds striker and have made a clear effort to sign the forward in the ongoing winter transfer window.
The reigning Scottish champions have tabled an offer to sign the Dutchman on loan for the rest of the season from Leeds, and were hoping for a positive response.
However, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds have laughed off the loan bid from the Scottish giants for Piroe in the ongoing transfer window.
For starters, a loan exit for Piroe makes sense to Leeds as it will make no difference to their PSR calculations, which means they won’t be able to sign a replacement.
Secondly, Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe is in no mood to let Celtic sign a striker and, in turn, strengthen the rivals of Rangers, where he is vice-chairman.
Leeds and Rangers operate independently, but Marathe will not let the Whites strengthen Rangers’ biggest rivals in Scottish football this season by loaning out Piroe.
If the club and Marathe want to get Piroe off their books, they would find other ways to move him on before the end of the transfer window.
Piroe is not pushing for a move, but Leeds may have other plans
Joel Piroe has not been pushing for a move and has made it clear he would only prefer to leave Leeds United in the summer transfer window.
However, the Dutchman was an unused substitute in the 4-3 defeat against Newcastle and didn’t come on against Fulham on Saturday when Leeds were chasing a goal.
| Statistic (per 90) | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Non-penalty goals | 0.43 | 74 |
| npxG (non-penalty xG) | 0.53 | 88 |
| Shots total | 2.98 | 78 |
| Assists | 0.11 | 64 |
| xAG (expected assisted goals) | 0.12 | 70 |
| npxG + xAG | 0.64 | 85 |
| Shot-creating actions | 2.54 | 75 |
Leeds want to sign a striker and have enquired about the possibility of signing Jorgen Strand Larsen from Wolves. Any move for him would have to depend on a departure.
The Whites may want to move on Piroe if they want to bring in a new striker before the end of the transfer window.
