AFTER GRAY: LEEDS COULD SELL "CLINICAL" GEM WHO'S WORTH MORE THAN RODON
Leeds United fans would have been gutted to see that Archie Gray had been sold on when the news was announced, the Whites' breakout boy wonder moving on to Tottenham Hotspur for £30m
It wasn't exactly a bolt from the blue, with talk right after the Championship play-off final defeat centring in on the fact clubs would test the waters for the promising 18-year-old this off-season, but it would still have hurt those involved with Leeds to lose one of their own so soon into his fledgling career.
There was one positive element to Gray's demoralising sale however, with Joe Rodon rejoining the Leeds ranks permanently as part of the bumper deal, but the outgoings don't look like stopping there this summer.
Who else could leave Leeds this summer
A recent report in the Daily Mail has speculated that Leeds could now put up either Patrick Bamford or Joel Piroe for sale to add even more funds to the growing Whites transfer kitty, with suitors already reportedly interested in the striker duo.
Piroe would be the more attractive sale from the West Yorkshire outfit's point of view, over offloading his 30-year-old counterpart, with the Championship club splashing out around £12m to win the Dutchman in the last summer transfer window.
There'll be a temptation to sell him on, therefore, if they recoup some of this money back, with Rodon looking a bargain at £10m in contrast, if Piroe is sold on for more.
The former Swansea City attacker might also welcome the opportunity to exit Elland Road after an up-and-down season playing under Daniel Farke, with large barren patches of form troubling the 24-year-old, who wasn't striking fear into second-tier defences facing off against him nearly enough.
Still, this hasn't dented his transfer valuation - as per Football Transfers - and so Leeds could be swimming in even more money if their number seven is offloaded, to add to the pile of cash already accumulated from Gray relocating to North London.
Piroe's transfer value in 2024
Despite being described as a "clinical" finisher by journalist Josh Bunting in the past, Piroe struggled to find consistent form for large patches of the campaign in front of goal, particularly towards the back-end of the season, with just four goals managed in the last 18 games of Leeds' full schedule.
That hasn't tainted his valuation though, with Football Transfers estimating that Piroe could still be sold on for a fee in the region of £12.1m, which is very similar to the excessive amount Leeds paid for his services last year.
| Piroe's transfer value over the years | |
|---|---|
| Year | Transfer value |
| 2024 | 12.1m |
| 2023 | 12m |
| 2022 | 5m |
| 2021 | 1m |
| Sourced by Football Transfers |
The continued winners from this whole story about Piroe being potentially sold on again is his ex-Welsh employers arguably, as can be seen looking at the table above, who signed their former star for merely £1m in 2021, before he exploded into life for the Swans with 46 goals from 96 games.
Leeds will also feel like they've managed to strike a very good deal with Spurs regarding the return of Rodon, winning back their beloved loanee for £10m - £2m less than what they forked out for Piroe - which feels like a reasonable fee to cough up, considering his heroics last season.
Picking up a mightily impressive 17 clean sheets across the regular season for his loan club, Rodon will hope he can shine as bright when playing on a permanent basis in West Yorkshire, clearly under the impression there's unfinished business when it comes to winning promotion.
Leeds fans would understandably feel a little let down if Piroe was sold, considering he was hyped up to be this prolific goalscorer when joining for a huge fee last year, but it could be a sale that needs to be sanctioned to further balance the books.
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