Coventry City, Ipswich Town may hate Middlesbrough FC transfer news - it involves Leeds United | OneFootball

Coventry City and Ipswich Town may be concerned by Middlesbrough's interest in Leeds United striker Joel Piroe

Coventry City, Middlesbrough, and Ipswich Town are the frontrunners to earn automatic promotion from the Championship to the Premier League, while both the Sky Blues and the Tractor Boys could be concerned by the latest transfer developments at the Riverside Stadium.

Frank Lampard's Coventry sit top of the league despite winning just one of their last four second-tier fixtures, with that victory coming in the form of a 1-0 triumph over Swansea City on Boxing Day.

Meanwhile, Boro are second in the Championship, thanks to their 4-0 victory over Southampton on 4 January, albeit Ipswich have a game in hand on the Sky Blues.

The January transfer window could play a pivotal role in deciding whether Ipswich can beat Middlesbrough to an automatic promotion spot, or if either Kieran McKenna's men or the North East club can beat the Sky Blues to the title.

Ipswich Town and Coventry City must be concerned by Middlesbrough interest in Joel Piroe

While Boro battle the Tractor Boys and Lampard's side for a spot in next season's Premier League, Joel Piroe has endured a lack of game time in the top flight with last season's Championship title winners, Leeds.

The former Swansea City man has made just two league starts for the Whites this term, and saw his penalty saved when the Yorkshire outfit defeated Derby County in the FA Cup last Sunday.

Piroe has fallen out of favour at Elland Road, thanks to the presence of fellow strikers Lukas Nmecha and ex-Everton target man Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Meanwhile, Middlesbrough are keen on Piroe as Kim Hellberg looks to bolster his attacking options ahead of the business end of the season.

The striker is keen to fight for his place at Leeds, but Ipswich and Coventry will be worried if he does end up at the Riverside Stadium this month.

Joel Piroe boasts an impressive record in the Championship

Piroe has not scored in the Premier League this season, but he has proven himself as a very dangerous attacker in the Championship in recent campaigns.

Last season, the 26-year-old scored 19 goals to win the second-tier golden boot, beating the likes of former Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill to the prize.

Piroe's clinical instincts could give Middlesbrough the boost they need to pip Ipswich to an automatic promotion spot, or even beat Coventry to the Championship title.

The forward's most eye-catching performance for Leeds last season came when he scored four goals in the West Yorkshire club's 6-0 thrashing over Stoke City in April.

If the former Swansea striker can produce those exploits for Middlesbrough in the latter stages of this campaign, it could damage both Ipswich and Coventry's promotion chances.

Before starring for the Elland Road outfit, the ex-PSV Eindhoven man was also a class act for the Swans, notching 22 Championship goals in the 2021/22 season, and a further 19 in 2022/23.

Alongside his goal-scoring credentials, Piroe is also capable of playing in an attacking midfield role, meaning he could effectively complement current Boro strikers Tommy Conway and David Strelec.

Most likely, however, Hellberg would be looking to utilise Piroe as a striker in order to address Boro's relative goalscoring woes, which could prove the difference between a successful and failed promotion bid.