Joel Piroe may be settling for a place on the bench at the moment but he is still setting himself an ambitious goal target at Leeds United.
Piroe is one of three Leeds players into double figures in the Championship this season, having netted 10 goals in 26 appearances since his £10.5 million switch from Swansea City in August.
Up until New Years’ Day, Piroe had started 21 league matches in a row for Leeds but was dropped to the bench for the 3-0 win over Birmingham City after two consecutive defeats.
Due to the form of his replacement Patrick Bamford, Piroe has been unable to regain his place back in the starting XI, and has played just 31 minutes of football across the last five games.
He did, however, score a stoppage time winner from the bench against Preston North End last month, showing he can still come up with important goals when needed.
Piroe sets goal target of 20
Speaking in an interview with Voetbalzone, Piroe still wants to score another 10 league goals between now and the end of the season, with 20 always the benchmark he sets at the beginning.
He said: “On paper I’m on ’10’, but the trainer gives us a lot of freedom to switch in the front. That works very well and I also continue to score my goals from this position. I’m on ten goals now.
“Normally, in the Championship, I want to tap the twenty goals. This season it’s no different, although promotion to the Premier League is my main goal.”
Leeds have won five league matches in a row since Piroe was dropped to the bench and if that form is kept up, he is going to find it very difficult to force his way back into the side.
With that in mind, a target of another 10 goals is certainly on the ambitious side, but he has to be ready to make an impact off the bench whenever he is called upon by Daniel Farke.
There aren’t many to have in reserve at this level when you are chasing a goal, and that alone should give him peace of mind that he still has a part to play this season.
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