Worth more than Solomon: Leeds hero is now showing shades of Chris Wood

Leeds United have had some exceptional strikers during the Premier League era. One of the most iconic of the lot, although not necessarily the best, was Tony Yeboah. He only played 66 times for the Whites but scored 32 goals, including stunners against Wimbledon and Liverpool in 1995.

Another excellent striker for Leeds since 1992 was Mark Viduka. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest Australian players in the history of the Premier League, and he scored 72 goals and grabbed 16 assists in 166 games for the club. He was a deadly striker.

Another centre-forward who was excellent at Elland Road, but did not actually play for the club in the Premier League, was Chris Wood.

Chris Wood’s Leeds record

It has been an extraordinary season in 2024/25 for Wood, who has been on fire for Nottingham Forest. In 25 Premier League appearances this season, the New Zealander has found the back of the net 18 times.

That is the kind of form that might not be a surprise to Leeds supporters. He was just as deadly for the Whites, although he did it in the second tier of English football rather than the first, for two seasons between 2015 and 2017.

In 88 appearances for the Yorkshire outfit, Wood managed 44 goals and grabbed nine assists. He was clinical in the Championship, bagging 13 goals in his first season and 27 goals in his second, which came in 44 games.

The centre-forward, who was born in Auckland, New Zealand, was sensational for Leeds during his two-year stint at Elland Road.

As much as they would love him back today, manager Daniel Farke has someone at his disposal who is certainly showing similar form to their former marksman.

The Leeds star showing shades of Wood

Leeds’ attackers have all been in impressive form this season, but perhaps none have been as good as Joel Piroe. The Dutchman has been clinical in front of goal and is leading the line superbly for Farke’s side.

The 25-year-old joined the club in 2023 from Swansea City, where he was adored and highly rated by the fans. Swans social media personality Jordan Webber described Piroe as a “special” player during his time at the Liberty Stadium, and his time at Elland Road so far has certainly shown why he was so highly praised.

The Whites have certainly seen the best of Piroe during his time at the club. This season, he has found the back of the net on 14 occasions and has grabbed six assists, in just 34 Championship games. The Dutchman is a key reason why Leeds are top of the table.

One of the best recent contributions from the attacker came against Watford. The former PSV Eindhoven star scored and assisted against Tom Cleverley’s side in a 4-0 win, dancing past onrushing defenders with quick feet before slotting home.

Statistically, Piroe has been excellent this term, and there are certainly similarities between his season so far, and Wood’s 2016/17 campaign.

For example, as per Sofascore, the Dutchman has a 20% conversion rate, compared to Wood’s 25% according to Sofascore.

Piroe is valued incredibly highly amongst the rest of his teammates, worth £11.6m according to Transfermarkt. That is more than fellow attacker Manor Solomon, who is also starring this season, with 14 goals and assists to his name in the Championship. The on-loan Tottenham Hotspur man – who has netted four in the last six league games – is worth a reported £7.5m.

There is no doubt that Solomon’s shining colleague, Piroe, has shades of Wood about him this term. With roughly a third of the season still to be played, it is quite conceivable that he could even overtake the Kiwi’s tally from 2016/17 and help his side to promotion.

At this rate, Piroe is well on his way to writing his name into the history books and becoming another cult-hero striker at Elland Road.

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