West Ham can land quick £15m transfer gold but Leeds United warning signs loom | OneFootball

West Ham's pursuit of Joel Piroe could lead to promotion, but there are concerns over the long-term vision of signing him

West Ham United were forced to share the points in their first Championship outing in over 14 years, as a late double from Zian Flemming earned Burnley a 2-2 draw at Turf Moor.

And while the Clarets will also have ambitions of being amongst the better sides in the second tier this season, the comeback outlined that the Hammers may not find life back in the Championship as easy as they'd ideally want it to be.

That being said, it's only game one, and there's still plenty of time left in the ongoing transfer window to help bolster the side even further and make it a more well-rounded squad.

Indeed, Nuno Espirito Santo was forced to name five academy players on the bench on Sunday, so there's still plenty of work to be done before September 1, both in terms of letting go of some wantaway stars and also bringing in some top Championship quality, too.

West Ham looking to bolster frontline with Joel Piroe addition

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The writing has been on the wall in terms of Joel Piroe's future at Leeds United for a while now.

The Surinamese frontman started the first two games of the Premier League campaign last year, but since then, he has played just 110 league minutes across 14 cameo bench appearances.

While Piroe said that he wanted to prove himself in the Premier League with Leeds in late July, the reality has been that he simply isn't in Daniel Farke's plans. Being unused from the bench in friendly games has now prompted the 27-year-old to look to leave.

Piroe's representatives feel that the price tag put on him by the West Yorkshire-based club is pricing him out of a move, but there's potential that Leeds could receive £15 million for his services, with West Ham eying a move for him.

Joel Piroe would help consolidate West Ham's promotion credentials

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West Ham have been fortunate to retain Taty Castellanos so far this summer. The Argentinian netted six times in 18 Premier League games last year, and his brace against Portsmouth in the EFL Cup does provide optimism that he could be right at the top of the Golden Boot charts.

However, other than Pablo, the Hammers are very light at the top end of the pitch and need senior quality coming in before the end of the window. In Piroe, they'll have as sure a goal threat in the Championship as you can have.

The 27-year-old has netted 73 times in 179 second-tier appearances across his four seasons at the level with Leeds and Swansea City. Three of those campaigns have seen him score at least 19, including in the 2024/25 term, which won him the Golden Boot.

Whether he's being relied on as the main threat, as he was in South Wales, or if he has quality around him, as he had at Elland Road and would have at West Ham, he knows how to find the net at this level, and he'd be a brilliant signing for Nuno's side before the end of the window.

Clear Premier League question marks surround Joel Piroe, though

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While Piroe is one of the better strikers the Championship has seen in recent years, he ultimately hasn't been able to translate that to the Premier League, albeit in just one season.

As mentioned, the 27-year-old struggled to nail down a spot following those opening two games last year — games in which Leeds failed to score in open play at home against Everton and away at Arsenal.

Piroe ended up playing more minutes in cup action than he did in the Premier League last season, and when Leeds' FA Cup run entered the latter stages, he was dropped for more recognised first-teamers. Indeed, he was an unused substitute in the semi-final against Chelsea.

There'll be arguments being made that, while West Ham's main focus is on getting out of the Championship at the first attempt, they also need an eye on what they can do once they achieve that.

The transition from the second tier to the Premier League can be made a lot easier by signing top-flight players in the making while they're a second-tier club, and Piroe hasn't proven he can be that kind of striker.

West Ham face being in Leeds United's position in a few years if Joel Piroe signs for £15 million

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There'll be counterpoints that Piroe hasn't had his chance to prove he can be a Premier League player, and given his comments last month about wanting to prove himself at the level, there'd be no one more determined to be a success with his new club than the striker.

But if it doesn't work out, West Ham could be in the same position as Leeds are in now, wanting to offload a top Championship goalscorer who they've invested a lot of money in.

That's arguably where the main issue lies. If the Hammers were able to bring someone like Piroe in for around £5-£7 million less, there may be less hesitance over wanting a deal to be done.

But £15 million is a big investment for someone who may only be around for one year if he doesn't end up being at the level needed to kick on in the Premier League.

There's no doubt that Piroe would be a good signing for the here and now as West Ham