Joel Piroe sends ‘if only’ message to Brenden Aaronson after Leeds United incident
Joel Piroe sent a message to Brenden Aaronson via social media after Leeds United claimed a 2-0 win over Millwall on Wednesday night.
Daniel Farke named the attacking duo to form half of the attack at Elland Road, joining Manor Solomon and Dan James in the final third on 12 March.
Jake Cooper’s own goal opened the scoring for the Whites, being forced into an error by Solomon inside four minutes, with Ao Tanaka sealing all three points with a delightful long-range effort five minutes from time.
The victory saw Leeds leapfrog Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United in the Championship table, retaking a two-point lead at the top and getting back to winning ways following the shock defeat to Portsmouth.
Piroe could have made the win much easier for his teammates with an incident which was dubbed a “nightmare” by Leeds fans, seeing his goals chalked off for offside, rather controversially.
Joel Piroe incredibly close to 16th Championship goal of the season
Having been set up perfectly by Aaronson’s pass just outside the penalty area, Piroe took to Instagram stories [13 March] to message the American directly, writing: “If only…”
While the Dutchman has been in fine form this season, notching 15 goals and six assists in 37 appearances, his midfield partner has recorded just one goal contribution in his last 13 games.
Aaronson has been under tremendous pressure from Leeds fans this season, and with another game without a goal or assist, the criticism is growing after being snubbed from the USA national team.
Daniel Farke takes important step towards Championship promotion
Football Insider verdict
Things looked a little shaky after the defeat to Portsmouth, with the Blades and Burnley closing the gap at the top of the Championship table, but that was quickly put behind them.
With nine games of the season remaining, there are bound to be plenty of twists and turns at Elland Road over the coming weeks, but Farke cannot afford for this side to slip up again.
| Championship standings | Points |
| 1. Leeds United | 79 |
| 2. Sheffield United | 77 |
| 3. Burnley | 75 |
| 4. Sunderland | 69 |
Tanaka could be one of the first names out the Leeds exit doors, having impressed during his first season in England, and staying in the Championship again would almost seal that transfer.
Solomon, Wilfried Gnonto, Joe Rodon, and Pascal Struijk are all capable of playing Premier League football, so whether the Whites secure promotion or not, they might still be playing in the top tier next season.
Farke has already missed out on promotion once with Leeds but he is unlikely to make that same mistake again.