Micah Richards believes Joel Piroe has been “excellent” for Leeds United this season and that he is a guy he genuinely enjoys watching.
After leaving Swansea City for £10.5 million in the summer, Piroe has started all 19 Championship games and scored eight goals.
The 24-year-old was thought to be the clinical front man Leeds had been waiting for a while, but he has spent the majority of the season playing right behind Georginio Rutter—a combination that has occasionally worked brilliantly.
Richards discussed how much he likes Piroe as a player on the Rest is Football Podcast, citing his versatility and capacity to “link the play” as two of his best qualities.
“I like Piroe at Leeds,” he remarked. He resembles a striker, a number ten. incredibly smart and adept at the game. able to do the numbers nine or ten. connects the drama effectively. He has performed admirably for Leeds this year.
For Leeds, Piroe has had ups and downs.
Piroe had a fantastic start to his Leeds career with four goals in his first six games, but in the following two months, especially away from home, he has struggled to find the back of the net.
Since Rutter or the two wingers play a large part in Leeds’ attacking play, there have been doubts about Piroe’s value to the squad when he is not scoring goals.
His performance in Saturday’s draw against Coventry City did not impress BBC analyst Leigh Bromby, who said that he would benefit from a little absence from the club over the hectic Christmas season.
Nevertheless, Daniel Farke will have to decide whether to move Rutter to a different position in order to get him into more goal-scoring situations for Leeds.
