Daniel Farke must gamble on out-of-favour Leeds star if he wants to save his job at Elland Road
Daniel Farke is coming under increasing pressure at Leeds United after yet another defeat this weekend.
The Whites were beaten 3-1 away at Nottingham Forest in what could prove to be a crucial ‘six-pointer’ at the foot of the Premier League table come the end of the season.
Lukas Nmecha put Leeds ahead in the 13th minute, but that advantage lasted for just two minutes, and from then on, there was only one team that looked like winning the game.
It was a familiar tale of what could have been for the Whites this season, and with the walls slowly closing in on Farke, he may have to take a gamble to try and save himself.
Daniel Farke to take a gamble on Joel Piroe at Leeds
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has endured a slow start at Leeds since his arrival in the summer, and Nmecha’s goal on Sunday was his first of the season from open play.
The lack of quality in the final third has been the major issue for the West Yorkshire outfit so far in 2025-26, as they have badly underperformed their xG, resulting in them picking up far fewer points than they should have done.
- Opta’s expected points table suggests that Leeds should be 10th with 15.2 points
- They are instead sitting in 16th, with just 11 points
- The Whites have scored just 10 goals so far, despite their xG already sitting at 13.1
No Leeds player has currently managed more than two league goals so far this term, with centre-back Joe Rodon currently tied with Nmecha and Noah Okafor as the team’s top scorer.
However, throughout all of their struggles at the top of the pitch, Farke hasn’t turned towards last season’s top scorer Joel Piroe, who is now little more than a fringe player.
The 26-year-old was prolific during their promotion-winning campaign last season, as he notched 26 goal contributions in league action, and outperformed his personal xG by almost two entire goals.
He has had to settle for substitute minutes so far in the Premier League, and that is baffling for somebody who is comfortably the most natural finisher in the current group at Elland Road.
The Whites simply have to start converting more chances if Farke is to keep his job, and as a result, he needs to take a gamble on Piroe and hope that he comes good when he needs him most.
- Read More: Calvert-Lewin’s Leeds United woes summed up painfully by damning Premier League statistic
Joel Piroe is worthy of more than zero starts since August
Piroe has hardly featured for Leeds so far this season, and it has quickly become clear that he isn’t trusted at Premier League level in LS11.
There were concerns surrounding the Dutchman’s lack of top-level experience in the summer, and that has been reflected in his playing time so far.
| Season | Team | Games | Goals | Assists |
| 2024-25 | Leeds United | 46 | 19 | 7 |
| 2023-24 | Leeds United (Swansea City) | 45 (3) | 14 | 3 |
| 2022-23 | Swansea City | 43 | 19 | 2 |
| 2021-22 | Swansea City | 45 | 22 | 6 |
However, it is extremely rare to see a player who has managed 19 or more goals in three of his last four Championship seasons receive such little opportunity in the Premier League.
Piroe’s last start in all competitions came way back in August, and Farke hasn’t handed him an opportunity from the off since the opening two games of the league season.
The 49ers were right to add other options to bolster the depth in attack ahead of the campaign, but it has been totally unnecessary for Piroe to have been overlooked in this manner.
Farke appears to have effectively written the out-of-favour star off already, but he may now have to gamble on him to try and save his job.
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