Bad news for Piroe: Leeds made late bid to sign "beautiful" EFL star

Leeds United have less than 24 hours to complete the remaining pieces of business that they would like to do before the end of the summer transfer window.

The Whites have needed to dip into the market after losing a number of their key players from the 2023/24 campaign, including Archie Gray, Glen Kamara, Crysencio Summerville, and Georginio Rutter.

Joe Rothwell, Joe Rodon, Jayden Bogle, Alex Cairns, Manor Solomon, and Largie Ramazani have all been brought in, whilst Ao Tanaka is reportedly set to join from Fortuna Dusseldorf for around £3.4m.

Along with those additions, the West Yorkshire outfit have also reportedly attempted to bring in a number ten to bolster their options in the final third.

Leeds made bid for Championship star

According to Sheffield-based outlet The Star, the 49ers made a second offer to sign Sheffield United attacking midfielder Gustavo Hamer this week.

The report claims that the Whites made a player-plus-cash bid that included Joel Piroe going to Bramall Lane, but the Blades had no interest in taking the Dutch forward as they do not believe that he would not have been a suitable addition to their squad.

It states that the 49ers had already had a £13m proposal turned down to bring the Dutchman to Elland Road, which some senior figures at Sheffield United believed was designed to unsettle the player.

The Star add that the Blades are desperate to keep hold of the former Coventry City playmaker, who was described as a “beautiful” player by journalist Josh Bunting, and it remains to be seen whether or not Leeds will go back in with a third offer, having now had two bids turned down.

Bad news for Joel Piroe

Despite Leeds failing in their latest attempt to prise the attacking midfielder away from Sheffield, this update should come as bad news for Piroe.

If the Whites were prepared to send the left-footed forward away to one of their promotion rivals, whilst also offering cash alongside him, to sign another player in his position for the number ten role, that does not bode well for his future prospects at Elland Road.

He has only started one of the club’s first three matches in the Championship this season, all in the attacking midfield position as Mateo Joseph has been preferred to him as the number nine.

As you can see in the table above, Hamer’s form over his last full season-and-a-bit in the Championship suggests that he would have arrived to offer far more than Piroe as a playmaker.

They both offer a similar goal threat from that role but the Dutchman is significantly more creative and could have provided the full package, as a scorer and a creator of goals, for Leeds.

Piroe, who was signed from Swansea for £10m+ last summer, does not excel when it comes to creating chances for others, as evidenced by his three ‘big chances’ created in 48 league games since the start of last season.

Daniel Farke, as shown by the pursuit of Hamer, appears to want more creativity from his number ten and that is why Piroe’s days at Leeds may already be numbered, even if he does not leave in the current window.