Leeds United are reportedly closing in on their fifth signing of the summer transfer window, as they have agreed a deal to bring Sean Longstaff to Elland Road.
The Whites have agreed a fee with Premier League rivals Newcastle United for the central midfielder, who came up through their academy, and he is now set to join Daniel Farke’s squad.
Gabriel Gudmundsson, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Lukas Nmecha, and Jaka Bijol have also been added to the squad during the summer transfer window, as the Championship champions look to bolster their options across the pitch.
The last six teams to have been promoted from the second tier have all been relegated from the Premier League at the first time of asking, which illustrates just how difficult it is going to be for Leeds.
Despite that fact, it can still be easy to underestimate the gap in quality between the two divisions, because the supporters have just watched the current players winning week-in-week-out to get promoted, which can make it difficult to accept that some of them are not good enough for the step up.
Farke has to make a lot of tough decisions on his title-winners and one player who may not be able to make the step is Dutch centre-forward Joel Piroe.
Why Joel Piroe may not be good enough for the Premier League
The left-footed striker was a regular starter in the number nine position for the Whites last term, starting 36 times, and won the Championship Golden Boot.
Piroe ended the campaign with a return of 19 goals in 46 appearances in the second tier for the West Yorkshire outfit, which is why there may be a feeling among some supporters that he could be a success in the Premier League.
Behind the scenes, though, Leeds reportedly have doubts over his ability to make the step up and are not planning for him to be their first-choice number nine.
That may be because of the increased physicality in the Premier League and because the team will be fighting against relegation, defending against the ball, rather than dominating possession and winning every week.
Dribble success rate
31.8%
Bottom 27%
Successful dribbles
0.41
Bottom 35%
Fouls won
0.44
Bottom 9%
Duels won
2.24
Bottom 3%
Duel success rate
26.9%
Bottom 10%
Aerial duels won
0.90
Bottom 12%
Aerial duel success rate
21.4%
Bottom 17%
As you can see in the table above, Piroe struggles badly when it comes to competing physically with opposition players, in and out of possession, which suggests that he is not suited to a relegation battle.
The Whites need a forward who offers more physicality, whether that is raw strength or speed and dynamism, which may be why they are reportedly targeting a new attacker from Turkey.
Leeds set to bid for Super Lig star
According to Aksam, Leeds United are interested in a deal to sign Besiktas centre-forward Semih Kilicsoy before the end of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Whites are set for a meeting with the Turkish giants as they prepare to make an offer of £17m to sign the attacker to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch.
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It states that Besiktas are open to cashing in on the 19-year-old starlet for that kind of fee, which suggests that there is a realistic chance of a deal being done for the youngster.
Aksam adds that Utrecht are also keen on a swoop for the Turkish dynamo, but both Besiktas and Kilicsoy would prefer to go through with a move to Elland Road.
It is now down to Leeds to thrash out a full agreement with the Super Lig side when they meet with them in the coming days in order to add the striker to their squad for next season.
What Semih Kilicsoy would bring to Leeds
The teenage centre-forward would come in as a potential upgrade on Piroe for Farke because he is a dynamic number nine who can offer more to the team in and out of possession as a team that may not dominate possession often.
Brad Friedal, who previously worked at Besiktas, once claimed that the 19-year-old attacker has a “structure like Sergio Aguero”, which is a comparison that makes a lot of sense when you see him play.
He is not the tallest striker, at 5 foot 11, but has great upper-body strength and uses his low centre of gravity and ability on the ball to beat opposition defenders with quick movements.
In the 2024/25 Super Lig campaign, Kilicsoy won 6.56 duels, including 1.38 aerial duels, per 90 and won two fouls per 90, which shows that he competed well physically by battling with defenders, despite not being a physically imposing number nine.
The 19-year-old ace also completed 2.49 dribbles per 90 and enjoyed a dribble success rate of 57%, which suggests that he would also offer more to Leeds than Piroe in transition, by dribbling past defenders to get the team up the pitch after defending in a low block.
Appearances
23
32
Starts
20
11
xG
5.59
4.31
Goals
11
3
Big chances created
4
7
Assists
4
2
As you can see in the table above, Kilicsoy’s goal return diminished last season as a result of his game time being reduced by the arrival of experienced Italian striker Ciro Immobile.
His output in front of goal as a regular starter in the 2023/24 campaign, though, suggests that the potential is there for the Turkey international to be an effective forward for Farke as a starter at Elland Road.
The Championship champions could offer Kilicsoy the chance to play week-in-week-out in the Premier League next season, aiding his development whilst providing the team with a huge talent who could be the number nine they need.
He has the physical attributes, both as a duel-winner and as a dynamic forward who can dribble past players and move quickly in and out of possession, to offer far more than Piroe as an all-round centre-forward, whilst his form in the 2023/24 campaign suggests that he can add goals as well.
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Therefore, Leeds should be pushing hard to get a deal over the line for the right-footed marksman in the coming days, as he would be a very exciting addition to the squad.