The past few years have been a whirlwind for Leeds United, and Daniel Farke is the man who has led the club through the ups and downs that come with professional football.
Losing to Southampton in the final play-off game of the 2023/24 season was a cause for concern at home, with many expecting most of their key players to leave.
Those fears became reality in the 2024 summer transfer window, with the likes of Georginio Rutter, Crisencio Somerville and Archie Gray leaving Elland Road.
But less than 12 months later, supporters were handed memories that will last a lifetime as the Whites clinched the second division title with 100 points and secured a return to the Premier League.
The loss of the aforementioned players seemed to be a blessing in disguise for striker Joel Pillow, who managed to step up to bat and return the club to its rightful place.
Why Joel Pillow needs to be sold to Leeds this summer
As previously mentioned, striker Pillow sent Leeds to the Premier League last season and has since found the back of the net 19 times, the most of any player in the division.
However, the 2025/26 season was one to remember for the 26-year-old, with the attacker rapidly falling down Farke’s ranks in recent months.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lucas Nmeka have been in great form, with both scoring 16 league goals, making it difficult for the Suriname international to earn league time.
After 32 games, he has only appeared in 13 league games, starting only two of them, and has played just 217 minutes in total.
Piroué has been given a chance to shine in the FA Cup so far this season, but he squandered it by missing a penalty in the shootout against West Ham United.
Noah Okafor, another signing from last summer, was also ahead of Falke’s plans, and his two goals against Manchester United only pushed Piroué further away from the team.
Piroue is not only an expandable asset for Leeds
It’s sad to see Pirouet drop down the pecking order at Leeds, but at the end of the day he’s a player who just isn’t good enough to make an impact in the senior ranks.
As a result, it would surprise no one if the 26-year-old is sold this summer. The bosses are looking to recoup the £15m they paid him in 2023.
The funds generated from his sale will allow the board to reinvest in the first-team squad and further strengthen a number of areas ahead of the 2026/27 season.
But Piroue certainly won’t be the only player to leave Elland Road in the coming months, with several other players also not reaching the level needed to be successful.
Goalkeeper Lucas Perry was also added to the squad during last summer’s transfer window, with hopes the shot-stopper would improve things between the sticks.
The Brazilian arrived from Lyon for a fee of around £14 million, but such a move proved to be a disaster for both sides, as evidenced by his recent decline in minutes.
The 28-year-old started the season as Los Blancos’ number one, but has recently suffered the same fate as Piroué, falling down the managerial hierarchy.
Lucas Perry – PL statistics (2025/26) | |
|---|---|
Statistics (every 90) | tally |
games played | 16 |
Play time (minutes) | 1440 |
clean sheet | 3 |
Number of goals conceded | 3 |
goal prevention | -0.14 |
Pass accuracy | 53% |
A save has been made | 2.3 |
penalty goal lost | 4 |
Perry has not started a league game since January’s 4-3 defeat to Newcastle United, with his only minutes since then coming in the FA Cup.
Karl Darlow then took over as the club’s main goal option, and the Wales international proved that the change in manager had been the right choice.
The 35-year-old has now started each of England’s last 11 games in the top flight, but was arguably at his best in the recent win over Man United.
He made six saves during the win, limiting his xG to 0.80, and it was a performance like this that kept Los Blancos in the game and secured all three points.
Now, Perry’s future at the club looks bleaker with each passing week, and the management needs to sell him to avoid losing money on their investment.
His quality ultimately failed to show at Elland Road, and such signings served as a stark reminder of the risks clubs are taking when signing players during the transfer window.
The sale of the Brazilian and Piroué this summer will undoubtedly hand Falke vital funds to strengthen his squad and, hopefully, further cement their stay in the Premier League until the end of May.
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