Leeds United striker opens up on future Premier League goals amid 'step up' hope
The Leeds United striker’s minutes were limited in a first ever Premier League campaign.
Leeds United striker Joel Piroe hopes to prove he can ‘step up’ to the Premier League after a ‘good season’ of adaptation on the first-team fringes.
Piroe failed to score a top-flight goal in 16 appearances last season, 14 of which came off the bench in the final 20 minutes of games. The 2024/25 Championship Golden Boot winner started the campaign as Leeds’ No.9 but failed to make an impact against either Everton or Arsenal.
The arrival of Dominic Calvert-Lewin signalled the end of Piroe’s short spell as a Premier League starter and he spent much of the season as third-choice, with Lukas Nmecha impressing more off the bench. But the Suriname international is keen to see the positive side.
"Personally, it's been a good season to see the Premier League and to adapt, but unfortunately, I didn't have a key role in the season,” Piroe told Flashscore. “At the same time, it kept some pressure off me to properly adapt to the league, because it's been my first season in the Premier League.
"As a team, we almost had the same struggle. We had to adapt during the first half of the season a little bit, but then afterwards, when we properly adapted to the league, I think we did really well. And it's fair to say that because we finished in 14th place, we did a really good job to get out of the relegation zone.
"The first game, I think, went really well when we played against Everton. The second game was Arsenal away, and that game was the proper 'Welcome to the Premier League' game. Like, it was hard. It was their first home game as well, so they really wanted to give their fans a show, and for us, the step up was so big.”
There was an expectation Piroe would leave this summer in search of more regular football, with known interest in his services during the January window. But the third-choice striker recently reiterated his desire to stay at Leeds and prove himself a Premier League player.
Leeds’ January pursuit of Jorgen Strand Larsen culminated in a near-£40million bid and was evidence of Daniel Farke’s desire to add more attacking firepower, in theory pushing Piroe further down the pecking order. But the 26-year-old is backing himself to be part of next season’s planned improvement.
"The team's goal will be to at least replicate last season, and hopefully, do even better to get closer to 10th place or maybe even more,” he added. “On a personal level, I just want to show my growth and show that I have adapted to the league now, and that I can step up.”