Leeds United centre-forward Patrick Bamford suffered a hamstring injury in the club’s 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers on New Year’s Day and the striker remains unavailable to this day.
The former England international has not made an appearance since that clash with Rovers and Daniel Farke revealed in his most recent press conference that he is “struggling” to provide a timeline for the attacker’s return to action in the Championship.
With all due respect to the experienced forward, the Whites have not missed him much on the pitch as they sit top of the division, whilst he failed to score in ten appearances in the league during the first half of the campaign.
The left-footed ace, however, did start 15 of his 33 appearances in the Championship during the 2023/24 season and contributed with eight goals and one assist in their push for promotion.
Things could have looked very different for the West Yorkshire outfit last season, however, if they had signed one of their reported transfer targets in the summer of 2023.
Leeds were reportedly interested in a deal to sign an impressive striker who has since gone on to make a big name for himself in Europe – Viktor Gyokeres.
Leeds United's interest in Viktor Gyokeres
All the way back in February of 2023, Football Insider reported that the Whites were keen on a swoop for the Sweden international, who was at Coventry City at the time.
The report claimed that Leeds were willing to pursue a deal for the former Brighton & Hove Albion centre-forward whether they were in the Premier League or the Championship, as they were on course to be relegated from the top-flight at the time.
Last year, former sporting director Victor Orta admitted that he was not willing to pay the £11.5m that was needed to secure the striker’s services, although he was unclear on what transfer window that was in – as the striker went on to be sold for more than that in the summer of 2023.
Portuguese giants Sporting swooped in to sign him for an initial fee of £17.5m, which has soared to at least £20m including add-ons to date, ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, which meant that Leeds missed out on the chance to secure his services.
Chalkboard
It was a shame that the West Yorkshire outfit failed to secure a deal for the Swedish powerhouse because his form for Coventry in the 2022/23 campaign was exceptional.
Viktor Gyokeres' Championship form for Coventry
The 26-year-old number nine has scored an eye-catching 78 goals in 88 appearances in all competitions for Sporting, which is why he has garnered so much public attention, but Championship fans were already aware of him because of his performances for the Sky Blues.
Mark Robins’ side reached the play-off final in the 2022/23 campaign, with Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer leading the way, but they fell just short on penalties against Luton Town and the Swedish forward was sold to Sporting.
The ex-Brighton attacker scored 43 goals in 116 appearances in all competitions for Coventry before his move to Portugal, and 22 of those goals came in the 2022/23 season.
Appearances
46
Goals
21
Big chances missed
19
Conversion rate
15%
Assists
10
As you can see in the table above, Gyokeres was prolific for the Sky Blues on their way to securing a play-off place that season, with 31 direct goal contributions in 46 appearances.
These statistics show how impressive the Swedish star was at Championship level for Coventry and why he could have been a terrific addition to Farke’s squad for the 2023/24 campaign and beyond, particularly when you consider what he has gone on to achieve at Sporting.
The German head coach, however, has unearthed his own version of Gyokeres for Leeds in the form of Joel Piroe, who has been in fantastic form this season.
Why Joel Piroe is the Championship's new Viktor Gyokeres
Leeds signed the Dutch forward from Championship rivals Swansea for a fee of more than £10m in the summer of 2023, but he spent the majority of the time (23 appearances) as a number ten, instead of as a striker, in the 2023/24 season.
All bar two of his appearances in the current campaign have come as a number nine, however, and he has thrived in his natural position – currently sitting at the top of the division’s goalscoring pile on 15 goals, level with Norwich City winger Borja Sainz.
Piroe, who was once described as “dangerous” by journalist Josh Bunting, has showcased his ruthless nature in front of goal with an exceptional return of 15 goals from an xG of 10.71, converting 20% of his chances – 5% more than Gyokeres converted in the 2022/23 season.
As you can see in the chart above, the Leeds star’s form this season is incredibly similar to Gyokeres’ form in his last campaign for Coventry, as they are both prolific centre-forwards who can also create high-quality chances for their teammates.
Piroe will now be hoping that he can clinch the top goalscorer award in the league, a trophy the Swedish ace was beaten to by Middlesbrough’s Chuba Akpom, and outscore the ex-Sky Blues marksman’s tally of 21 goals before the end of the regular season.
Appearances (starts)
45 (31)
34 (24)
xG
12.74
10.71
Goals
13
15
Big chances created
3
5
Assists
3
6
As you can see in the table above, the left-footed striker has already scored more goals and provided more assists than he did in fewer appearances in the league last season.
This suggests that he has improved by playing in his natural position, rather than as a number ten, and Farke has unearthed the league’s new version of Gyokeres, given his ability to score and create goals at an impressive rate, by unleashing him as a striker.
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Hopefully, Piroe will continue to shine until the end of the 2024/25 campaign and lead the Whites back to the Premier League at the second time of asking, proving that Leeds hit the jackpot when they signed him from Swansea almost two years ago.
