Leeds United look set for a busy summer in the months to come after the transfer window officially opens in June, as they look to build a team to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Daniel Farke is heading into a pivotal season in his managerial career, after it was reported that he was in danger of losing his job despite winning promotion, due to his previous failures in the top-flight.
Paraag Marathe backed the German head coach, however, and ended any talk about the tactician losing his job by stating: “I have ended the speculation. He is my man.”
Farke managed 49 games in the Premier League with Norwich City across one-and-a-half seasons and lost a staggering 35 of those, picking up just 26 points.
He has been backed to make a better fist of the Premier League this time around with Leeds, though, after he led them to the Championship title.
In order to do that, the Whites will need to invest in the squad to provide the head coach with a team that has the quality to avoid the drop, which is why Joel Piroe could be in danger of losing his place in the team.
Why Joel Piroe should be concerned this summer
Whilst the Dutchman should not be sold or loaned out in the summer transfer window, Leeds should be looking at options to potentially replace him as the first-choice option in the centre-forward position.
Football Insider reported that the West Yorkshire outfit have doubts over Piroe’s ability to make the step up to the Premier League, and that they are not planning to build their attack around the former Swansea City marksman.
The left-footed attacker scored 19 goals in 46 games in the Championship for the Whites as their first-choice centre-forward, after beginning the campaign as the second-choice behind Mateo Joseph.
Despite his impressive season on paper in the second tier, after emerging as Farke’s preferred number nine option, his lack of physicality could be why Leeds are not planning to build their attack around him.
Duels won
2.24
Bottom 3%
Duel success rate
26.9%
Bottom 10.6%
Aerial duels won
0.9
Bottom 12.9%
Aerial duel success rate
21.4%
Bottom 17.6%
Fouls committed
0.7
Bottom 7.1%
Fouls won
0.44
Bottom 9.4%
As you can see in the table above, the 25-year-old forward ranked incredibly lowly among his positional peers in the division in a host of physical statistics, which may be why he may not be suited to the Premier League against stronger and quicker defenders.
This may be why Leeds are not convinced by his ability to make the step up, and why the club are reportedly looking to add a new striker to the squad.
Leeds eyeing move for new centre-forward
According to The Boot Room, Leeds United are eyeing up a move to sign Stade Rennes centre-forward Arnaud Kalimuendo in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The report claims that the club have rekindled their interest in the 23-year-old dynamo, and are now set to battle it out with Newcastle United to land his services ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
It states that Rennes are prepared to cash in on the French striker, whose contract is due to expire in the summer of 2017, and this has caught Leeds’ attention, three years on from when they tried to sign him from his previous club.
Independent reported in 2022 that the West Yorkshire outfit made a bid of £17m to sign the attacker from French giants Paris Saint-Germain, as Victor Orta looked to snap him up for Jesse Marsch.
The former Whites sporting director was unable to get a deal over the line for Kalimuendo, and he went on to sign for Rennes for a fee of £21m that summer.
Leeds should, now, work hard to succeed where Orta failed in 2022 by bringing the Rennes forward to Elland Road as an upgrade on Joel Piroe.
Why Leeds should sign Arnaud Kalimuendo
The Championship champions should bring the 23-year-old star to the club to replace the Dutch marksman because he has proven his quality in one of Europe’s major leagues.
Kalimuendo won 3.55 duels per 90 and won 35% of his battles in Ligue 1 during the 2024/25 campaign, which suggests that he would be more suited to the physicality of the Premier League than Piroe, who won fewer duels and a lower percentage of his duels in the Championship.
As well as being an upgrade on the Leeds marksman from a physical perspective, the former PSG attacker could also be an upgrade as a goalscoring option for the Whites.
Kalimuendo, who was once described as “very prolific” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored 27 goals in Ligue 1 in the last two seasons, whilst Piroe is yet to score a goal in Europe’s top five leagues in his career to date.
Appearances
33
xG
15.0
Goals
17
Big chances missed
6
Conversion rate
22%
Big chances created
5
Assists
3
As you can see in the table above, the Rennes forward enjoyed a terrific year in Ligue 1 in the 2024/25 campaign, outperforming his xG by two goals and only missing six ‘big chances’.
For context, Piroe missed 13 ‘big chances’ and had a conversion rate of 19% in the Championship, which means that Kalimuendo was more clinical and effective in front of goal than the Dutchman was, despite playing in a higher division.
This suggests that the French marksman could offer more of a threat in the final third than Piroe could in the Premier League next season, based on what they delivered this season.
Therefore, Kalimuendo could be a terrific signing for Leeds, three years on from when Orta wanted him, by offering an upgrade on Farke’s current number nine from both a technical and physical perspective.
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ByDan Emery
