Leeds United are less than a month away from kicking off their 2024/25 Championship season with a game against Portsmouth at Elland Road.
The Whites will have still have a few weeks after that clash to finish off their business during the summer transfer window, which does not slam shut until the end of August, but may want to do the bulk of their work ahead of the season opener.
Daniel Farke will surely want as much time as possible with new signings to ensure that they are ready to slot in and adapt to his system and style of play, rather than trying to bed them in once the campaign has already started.
Central defender Joe Rodon has already been brought in on a permanent deal from Tottenham Hotspur, after his loan spell last term, and goalkeeper Alex Cairns has also been snapped up permanently as a back-up option.
The West Yorkshire side have dipped into the loan market to secure the services of central midfielder Joe Rothwell from Premier League side Bournemouth.
It now remains to be seen what Leeds will be able to do throughout the rest of the window but they have been urged to sign a star from one of their Championship rivals.
Leeds urged to sign Championship star
Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony has claimed that Leeds would almost guarantee promotion by signing Sammie Szmodics from Blackburn Rovers.
Speaking on the Posh Podcast, as relayed by Planet Sport, he stated that bringing the Ireland international to Elland Road would be "pretty much guaranteeing you promotion" because he won the Golden Boot in the second tier last term.
However, it is unclear as to whether or not the Whites hold a genuine interest in the talented goalscorer or if MacAnthony is simply urging them to consider a deal for him.
Szmodics joined Blackburn from Peterborough, where he had produced 27 goals and 14 assists in 96 appearances in all competitions, and this means that the Posh chief has a vested interest in the gem's future.
Brentford and Celtic are among the other teams to have been linked with an interest in the prolific attacker, whilst Ipswich Town have reportedly held talks over a deal for the forward.
Leeds must now act on MacAnthony's recommendation and pursue a deal for the Irish marksman as he could come in as a big upgrade on Farke's current number ten – Joel Piroe – if they can secure his services before the end of the summer transfer window.
Joel Piroe's debut season with Leeds
It was an interesting season for the Dutch striker after his move from Championship rivals Swansea on a permanent deal ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
Having predominantly played as a centre-forward for the Welsh side in his first two years in England, Farke opted to deploy him in an attacking midfield or second striker role, behind a number nine, for most of the campaign.
That change in position did not help to get the best out of the left-footed star, though, as his goal return diminished and he offered little out of possession or in build-up play.
Piroe had scored 41 goals across his first two years in the Championship with Swansea, firing in 22 and then 19, but only managed 14 goals in 45 league outings for Leeds.
This suggests that the switch in role took away some of his goalscoring prowess, which meant that the Whites did not see the best version of the Dutchman.
Appearances
45
Assists
2
Big chances created
3
Key passes per game
0.8
Duel success rate
38%
Aerial duel success rate
27%
As you can see in the table above, his performances away from his goalscoring left a lot to be desired as he struggled in and out of possession.
Piroe lost the majority of his physical duels, notably in the air, and that shows that opposition defenders found it far too easy to get the better of him last season.
His creative statistics also show that the 24-year-old attacker did not offer much in terms of being able to create high-quality opportunities for his teammates.
Overall, his form in his first season for Leeds suggests that there is room for the club to land an upgrade on him in the transfer window, and that is what Szmodics could be.
Why Sammie Szmodics could be a Joel Piroe upgrade
Firstly, the Ireland international spent the majority of last term playing in an attacking midfield role for Blackburn, appearing 34 times in that role.
This immediately suggests that he would, stylistically, be an ideal signing to come in and replace Piroe as a goalscoring number ten behind Georginio Rutter, Mateo Joseph, or Patrick Bamford.
Whilst, on paper, Szmodics suits the role that the Dutchman is typically deployed in, does his quality on the pitch make him an upgrade on the ex-Swansea star?
The 28-year-old dynamo, who scored 33 goals in all competitions for Rovers, has statistics in the Championship from the 2023/24 campaign that suggest that he does.
Szmodics showcased his quality at the top end of the pitch on a regular basis in the second tier to help Blackburn to avoid relegation from the division.
Appearances
44
45
Goals
27
13
Minutes per goal
145
216
Conversion rate
19%
15%
Big chances created
7
3
Duel success rate
42%
38%
As you can see in the table above, the right-footed sensation scored more than twice as many goals as Piroe and created more than twice as many 'big chances' for his teammates, despite playing one fewer match.
He ranked within the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the division for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.62) and the top 3% for non-penalty Expected Goals and Expected Assisted Goals combined per 90 (0.62), which shows that not many, if any, players in his position made a greater impact in the final third.
These statistics suggest that the Blackburn attacker, who was hailed as "ridiculous" by journalist Josh Bunting, would come in as a big upgrade on Piroe by offering more to Farke's side in and out of possession, which is why they should take MacAnthony's advice and sign the impressive attacker to hopefully guarantee promotion.
His spectacular goalscoring pedigree in the Championship could help Leeds to win more matches, with over twice as many goals as Piroe, and that could see them make the jump to the automatic places after finishing third last term.