Following the turbulence of 2022/23, things appear to be looking up as far as Leeds United are concerned, with the promotion hopefuls currently enjoying a six-game unbeaten run in the Championship to put themselves in playoff contention.
Having overseen a major squad overhaul during the summer, new boss Daniel Farke is beginning to reap the rewards of the alterations he has made during his brief tenure thus far, with the “high-quality performance” against Watford last time out – as per The Athletic’s Phil Hay – an indication that things are moving in the right direction.
One notable decision that has already proved fruitful is the signing of former Swansea City man, Joel Piroe, with the 24-year-old looking capable of reproducing the prolific form that he showcased over the previous few years at the Liberty Stadium.
The one-time PSV Eindhoven asset had caught the attention of those in Yorkshire after bagging 41 league goals across the last two campaigns behind, with Farke and co eventually splashing out a reported fee of around £12m in order to prise the forward from south Wales.
While it is still early days with regard to his time at Elland Road, Piroe has certainly made his presence felt with four goals in just five league appearances thus far, already placing him as the club’s top scorer this term.
Leeds supporters are likely to be delighted with the impact that the new addition has made to date, yet it may still sting that the club could have signed arguably an even better Dutchman last summer, in the form of current Liverpool star, Cody Gakpo.
Why didn’t Leeds sign Cody Gakpo?
With Jesse Marsch having steered the Whites to top-flight safety at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, the American coach then embarked on something of a spending spree in an attempt to avoid another relegation scrap the following season, forking out for the likes of Tyler Adams (£20m), Luis Sinisterra (£25.4m) and Brenden Aaronson (£24.7m) – as per Sky Sports.
There was one man missing from that raft of incomings, however, with Marsch and co having been intent on signing Gakpo from his native Holland right up until the end of the window, with the aim of bolstering their attacking ranks.
The suggestion at the time was that with both Leeds and Southampton chasing the then-PSV man, the 6 foot 4 hotshot was set to command a fee of around £25m – a rather reasonable figure in relation to their other spending.
Despite having been “so close” to getting a deal done for the emerging superstar – as Marsch revealed last season – and with personal terms believed to have been agreed, Gakpo ultimately stayed put with the Eredivisie side for the 2022/23 campaign.
As per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the suggestion at the time was that Leeds were intent on bidding again for the versatile forward in the upcoming January window, albeit with the Italian journalist subsequently stating that such a move looked “unlikely”, with top European clubs sniffing around.
How much did Liverpool pay for Gakpo?
Heading into that winter window, the suggestion was that rivals Manchester United were set to make a move for the towering marksman, with Erik ten Hag looking to tempt his compatriot into making the switch to Old Trafford.
