Pascal Struijk says £10m Leeds United player used to get the better of him but ‘not anymore’

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Pascal Struijk has been discussing his Leeds United teammates around the Spurs match, which the Whites lost 2-1.

Leeds United retained the giant Dutch centre-back this summer, but he has had two slightly poorer performances following strong displays against the likes of Everton, Fulham, and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

But the Premier League can be unforgiving against a higher calibre of player. Leeds will still need the 26-year-old as well as Joe Rodon and Jaka Bijol this season.

He remained despite the fact Struijk admitted that he had interest in the summer recently. Going back to around this time last year, it was said that Struijk was a target for Spurs during the 2025 January transfer window.

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Pascal Struijk calls Joel Piroe his best friend in football

The interest did not end there, as Spanish side Villarreal also took a look into sign Struijk. Given Struijk’s contract situation at Leeds, Spurs could reignite interest at some stage, too.

Struijk was linked to PSV Eindhoven, despite coming through the ranks at Ajax before joining Leeds in January 2018. A former PSV player — and a fellow Dutchman — is one of his teammates at Leeds.

Like Struijk, forward Joel Piroe is 26. Speaking to Premier League Productions’ Welcome to the Weekend prior to the Spurs fixture, Struijk answered the question regarding who his best mate is in the Leeds squad.

He said: “I’m going to say my Dutch friend Joel. We’re the same age group. So, when we played in youth teams and academies in the Netherlands, we used to play against each other.”

Leeds signed Piroe for £10 million plus add-ons from Swansea City in the summer of 2023 but Struijk says his teammate is incapable of doing that now. He added “He got the better of me sometimes, if I’m being honest; but not anymore.”

Farke named Struijk as a ‘colossus’ after the Everton game at Elland Road. That is high praise, but Spurs showcased the speed and quality in the league can be the better of anyone in a split second.

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Joel Piroe’s hidden talent away from Leeds United

Piroe is a great finisher, per Daniel Farke. However, scoring goals requires more than that and being able to run the channels, pin, and hold up the ball.

He also lacks athleticism, which is strange when considering Piroe’s hidden talent away from football with Leeds and the fact it requires athleticism.

Some Leeds fans think Piroe will do well this year, but Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are also strikers at the club, and evidently above him in the pecking order.

Graham Smyth believes Piroe could have left Leeds in the recent transfer window, but he and Struijk are close and splitting that friendship up would be a real shame.