Leeds academy star who scores every 94 mins could be Piroe’s successor

Leeds United have not found goals hard to come by in the Championship this season with the fourth-most goals scored in the second tier so far.

Only Ipswich Town, Leicester City, and Southampton have found the back of the net more than the Whites, who have scored 70 times in 38 matches.

Six players have scored at least six goals in the Championship for Daniel Farke‘s side, and three players have hit double figures for goals in the league.

Crysencio Summerville (15), Dan James (12), and Joel Piroe (11) have all scored more than ten goals in the division for the Yorkshire-based outfit, as the team competes to secure promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Leeds also have a few talented young strikers coming up through the ranks, who could eventually emerge as first-team starters for the German head coach.

Mateo Joseph, who has worked his way into the squad in recent months, could be viewed as the long-term successor to Patrick Bamford at Elland Road.

Meanwhile, U18s star Marley Wilson, who is younger and has more time on his hands to develop before making a first-team emergence, could eventually be Piroe’s successor.

Mateo Joseph’s first-team potential

The Spain U21 international, who previously played for England at U20 level, has made 13 appearances as a substitute in the Championship this season for Leeds.

Farke has trusted him to come off the bench and attempt to make an impact in matches, although the young gem is yet to deliver a goal or an assist.

Joseph did, however, have his breakthrough moment(s) at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea in the FA Cup last month with both of the side’s goals in a 3-2 loss against the Premier League side.

The 20-year-old dynamo produced a composed right-footed finish to put Leeds 1-0 up early on before making an excellent run to the back post to head in the equaliser to make it 2-2 in the second half, which proved that he does have the ability to make an impact in the final third at senior level.

His first-team emergence came after an exceptional return for the U21s at youth level, following his move from Espanyol in 2022, as you can see in the table below.

Joseph, after a slow start in his first season at the club, has racked up 17 goals and three assists in 23 Premier League 2 outings since the start of the 2022/23 campaign.

He could now be viewed as the natural successor to Bamford, who turns 31 later this year, whilst Farke could look deeper into the academy to find Joseph 2.0 and an heir to Piroe’s position in the form of Wilson, who has starred for the U18s this season.

Marley Wilson’s academy form for Leeds

The 18-year-old starlet is a versatile gem who initially made his breakthrough for the U18s during the 2021/22 campaign as a right winger or centre-forward.

Wilson produced two goals and one assist in 11 appearances in all competitions that term in an understated start to life at that level, at the age of just 16.

He was then deployed as a left winger on a regular basis throughout the 2022/23 season, and chipped in with six goals and four assists in 19 outings in all competitions, including five goals and four assists in 13 U18 Premier League games.

The then-17-year-old was also exposed to the U21 set-up for the first time with three appearances for the club in the Premier League 2, with zero goals or assists in 121 minutes of action.

This season, Wilson has primarily been used as a centre-forward or an attacking midfielder and showcased his lethal finishing in front of goal with a terrific return of ten goals in 12 matches.

He has scored ten goals in 943 minutes of action across the U18 Premier League and FA Youth Cup, which means that the teenage dynamo has averaged a goal every 94 minutes in all competitions for the U18s this term.

These statistics suggest that playing centrally is his best position as he has been in the form of his Leeds career so far as a number nine or ten, which are the two roles Piroe has alternated between for the first-team this season.

Joel Piroe’s form for Leeds this season

The Dutchman, who was signed from Championship rivals Swansea on a permanent deal last summer, has had mixed success in the league this term.

Piroe, as aforementioned, is one of only three Leeds players with more than ten league goals for the club but his finishing has left a little to be desired at times.

He has scored 11 goals from an xG (Expected Goals) of 11.71 and missed seven ‘big chances’ across 37 appearances in the Championship during the 2023/24 campaign.

This suggests that the left-footed marksman has been wasteful at times and not made the most of the high-quality opportunities that have come his way in the second tier.

As you can see in the table above, Piroe has offered little to the team outside of his goalscoring prowess, as he has rarely provided creativity and has struggled physically.

Opposition players have dominated him in physical duels – winning 63% of their contests with the Dutch forward – and this does not suggest that the 24-year-old attacker is likely to cope well with a potential step up in physicality or quality in the Premier League, if Leeds win promotion.

Leeds may, therefore, need to find a long-term replacement for Piroe further down the line, whether that is this summer, or a future summer, and Wilson could be identified as a possible option.

The 18-year-old star is six years younger than the former Swansea centre-forward and has showcased his immense goalscoring talent at youth level this season, in similar positions to Piroe, which is why Farke could look to him as a successor to the Dutchman at some point.

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The talented young colossus could be the next starlet to make the step up to the first-team.

For now, Wilson must make the step up to the U21s and prove himself at that level before then making his mark in the first-team in the future.