Leeds United told their ‘unbelievable’ striker target is even better than Joel Piroe

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It’s been a while since Leeds United found themselves at the centre of a Golden Boot battle.

Thanks to Joel Piroe’s flying start to the New Year, however, the top scorer award could yet be heading to Elland Road for the first time since Chris Wood notched 27 during the short-lived reign of Garry Monk nearly a decade ago.

Joel Piroe took his tally to 15 with a ‘fabulous’ late strike to see off Sheffield United last week. And while such a return only leaves him level in top spot, the other Championship forward with 15 goals to his name – Norwich City’s Borja Sainz – is currently in the midst of a 12-game barren run in England’s second tier.

Yet, just because Piroe is the division’s most potent frontman right now, that does not make him ‘the best’.

In the view of Football League expert Ali Maxwell, the honour of being the Championship’s finest all-round number nine belongs not to Piroe but to Sunderland talisman – and the Leeds United linked – Wilson Isidor.

EFL expert rates Sunderland’s Wilson Isidor even higher than Leeds United’s Joel Piroe

“Isidor is absolutely brilliant,” Maxwell says, labelling the rangy Frenchman ‘probably the league’s best striker’ in the process. “That has been highlighted time and again over the last couple of weeks.”

There are certainly similarities between Piroe’s season and that of Isidor. Both made a solid but far from spectacular start to the campaign before slamming their feet onto the accelerator after Christmas.

Piroe has scored eight of his 15 goals from Boxing Day onwards. Seven of Isidor’s 12 Championship strikes have come in the same time period.

According to reports, Leeds have placed Wilson Isidor on their summer wishlist alongside the likes of Norwich City’s Josh Sargent and Nice hitman Evann Guessand. And if that Monday night trip to Elland Road a fortnight ago was something of an audition for the former Zenit St Petersburg man, it was one he passed with flying colours.

Few strikers have got the better of Ethan Ampadu this season. But even the ever-reliable Leeds captain could not find a way to combat Isidor’s fearsome combination of strength and skill, ragdolled and almost dismissed as the visiting number nine put Sunderland ahead in West Yorkshire.

That was one of multiple Isidor efforts which may be worthy of a place in the Championship’s Goal of the Season shortlist. Also in contention will be his thrilling volleys against Coventry City and Oxford, plus that 80-yard dash and dink away to Hull.

“His trajectory across the season has been unbelievable,” Maxwell adds. “He had a pretty good start but it wasn’t an incredible explosion.

“In the last month or two, Isidor has hit his straps. Physically, he is so impressive to be able to start and play so many minutes in so many games. He always looks sharp.”

Isidor’s stats are amazing but can he work with Dan James?

Only Middlesbrough playmaker Finn Azaz and the aforementioned Borja Sainz have mustered more than Isidor’s 32 shots on target.

Remarkably, he managed a shot on target in eleven successive Championship matches before Sunderland’s shock home defeat to Hull City at the end of February as Leeds loanee Joe Gelhardt secured all three points for Ruben Selles’ side.

For a devoted statto like Maxwell, these are numbers impossible to overlook.

“He is an absolute shot on target monster,” he explains. “Before that Hull game, Isidor has had a shot on target in eleven straight games.

“Let me tell you, having a shot on target in eleven consecutive games is very, vey very, very, very rare, and just shows what a consistent goal threat he is and how accurate his shots are.”

Interestingly, Maxwell also points out that Isidor tends to drift to the right-hand side of the penalty area when Sunderland are on the attack. Take his goal at Leeds, for instance; Isidor picked up the ball on the right of the box before spinning Ampadu and slotting home.

Given how successful Dan James has been when darting into those areas under Daniel Farke, one thing Leeds must consider is whether would compliment the speedy Welshman – as the more withdrawn Joel Piroe tends to do – or whether both players would instead end up stepping on each other’s toes.