Joel Piroe continues to lead the line for Leeds United. And despite some very mixed performances this season, Daniel Farke is content with the Dutchman. Or is he?
Leeds United are being linked with a number of strikers in this January transfer window, albeit without much success so far, which may suggest the Whites’ underlying intentions to sign a new one before deadline day.
February 3rd sees the winter window shut until the summer. Leeds are yet to sign any new players, but that’s not for a lack or players being linked with moves to Elland Road.
Going into the New Year there were 19 players linked with Leeds United, though many of whom have since gone on to seal moves to other clubs.
Mergim Berisha was one striker target and he’s since joined Augsburg. There remains other strikers linked such as Alvyn Sanchez and Willem Geubbels, though few seem to be realistic candidates for January moves.
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Leeds United should turn to Ajax striker Chuba Akpom
There is one striker in Europe who’s up for sale right now: former Middlesbrough Golden Boot winner Chuba Akpom, who now plays for Ajax.
Akpom won the 2022/23 Championship Golden Boot after scoring 28 league goals for Boro that season, also scooping a couple of Championship Player of the Season awards in the same campaign.
Ajax are reportedly keen to offload the 29-year-old before deadline day. The likes of Leicester City and Marseille are being linked, along with Leeds’ Championship promotion rivals Sunderland.
But in what could be a boost for Leeds, it’s been claimed that Akpom isn’t interested in a possible move to Sunderland in this January transfer window, possibly because of his ties to Middlesbrough.
Chuba Akpom vs Joel Piroe in 2022/23
Akpom and Joel Piroe both enjoyed prolific 2022/23 campaigns in the Championship, at Middlesbrough and Swansea City respectively.
But Akpom certainly outshone Piroe that year. And although he’s now available to leave Ajax, he’s got a good record with the Dutch giants having scored 23 goals in 67 games in all competitions since arriving for £12.2million in 2023.
| Statistic | Chuba Akpom in 22/23 | Joel Piroe in 22/23 |
| Goals | 28 | 19 |
| Scoring freq. | 111 min | 200 min |
| Goals-per-game | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Shots-per-game | 2.6 | 3.3 |
| Shots on target-per-game | 1.3 | 1.4 |
| Big chances missed | 17 | 19 |
| Goal conversion | 28% | 13% |
| Headed goals | 7 | 0 |
| Left-footed goals | 7 | 12 |
| Right-footed goals | 14 | 7 |
| Penalties won | 0 | 0 |
There looks to be a few options for Akpom right now. He could secure an exciting top flight move with the likes of Marseille and Leicester City, or he could return to a league where he knows he can score goals.
What’s more; if he can prove prolific at Leeds in the second half of this season then it could put him in the shop window for an exiting summer move, and possibly one to a club where he sees out the majority of the rest of his career.
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