Leeds sold “brilliant” star for £500k, now he’s an EFL record-breaker.
Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke had some big decisions to make during the summer transfer window after he lost centre-forward Georginio Rutter to Brighton & Hove Albion.
The France U21 international produced six goals and 15 assists in the Championship during the 2023/24 campaign, but the manager opted against dipping into the market to sign another striker.
Instead, Mateo Joseph and Joel Piroe, with Patrick Bamford in reserve as the third-choice number nine, have been entrusted with the number nine jersey this season.
Rutter-Leeds
That decision from the former Norwich City tactician has turned out to be a masterstroke, as Piroe and Joseph have both enjoyed strong starts to the campaign.
Piroe and Joseph’s strong start to the season
The Leeds academy graduate started the first eight games of the Championship season and has been a substitute in each of the last five matches.
Joseph has scored two goals, created four ‘big chances’, and provided three assists in those 13 outings in total, which means that he has been directly involved in five goals in eight starts.
24/25 Championsh.
As you can see in the table above, Piroe has been the most prolific of the three strikers in the squad and has offered a reliable source of goals for Farke in the final third.
Hopefully, the 21-year-old Joseph will continue to develop throughout the season and eventually emerge as another consistent goalscorer for the Whites.
Leeds did once have one of the most consistent scorers in Championship history when they had Billy Sharp on their books for the 2014/15 campaign, and he went on to thrive after his exit from Elland Road.
How many goals Billy Sharp has scored after leaving Leeds
After a return of just five goals in 33 Championship games, following his move from Southampton, the Whites immediately cashed in on the English forward, selling him to Sheffield United for a fee of just £500k.
Given his disappointing return in a Leeds shirt, there may not have been much of a fuss made over the small fee that they sold him for, but it was one that the club surely went on to regret.
Sharp, who was once hailed as “brilliant” by boss Chris Wilder, has since scored a whopping 127 goals at club level for the Blades, LA Galaxy, and Doncaster Rovers combined in the nine years since his move away from West Yorkshire.
As you can see in the image above, Sharp has a terrific record in his career at League One and Championship level but was unable to showcase the best of his ability at Leeds.
He is currently the fifth-top scorer in League One history and, has smashed the record for the most goals in the Championship, with 130 – seven more than Jordan Rhodes in second place.
