Josh Sargent transfer verdict clear with Leeds United striker objective outlined
Leeds United have been loosely linked with Daniel Farke’s former signing
In a recent Leeds Live poll the majority of fans selected striker as the most important area for Leeds United to bolster this summer.
Joel Piroe walked away with the Championship golden boot after his 19-goal haul yet his inconsistent form provides concern over how he would fare in the top flight. The Dutchman went large periods without scoring over the past season, including nine matches before his four-goal plunder against Stoke City on promotion day.
It seems clear that a top end striker who has a track record of top flight success is needed to give the Whites the best fighting chance of survival. Norwich City’s Josh Sargent is not that.
Loose rumours have painted United as one of the clubs tracking the American this summer, after his 15 goals in 33 matches in a mediocre Norwich side amid a two-month groin setback. He has several links with personnel at Elland Road.
Daniel Farke was the man who brought him to Carrow Road in the summer of 2021 ahead of a Premier League campaign in which the coach was sacked after 11 games. Sargent scored his only two goals of the league season in the same match, ending the term with 26 league outings.
The forward was only 21 and looked very raw at the time. He has matured since and boasts a work-rate akin to that of countryman Brenden Aaronson – the second connection he has to Leeds. With United set to play on the back foot for many games next season, they need players who are willing to work and press.
Sargent does that more effectively than Piroe and also offers something the team is in danger of losing if Junior Firpo leaves and Pascal Struijk is usurped at centre-back – aerial presence.
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He won 35.6 per cent of his aerial duels last season, comfortably trumping Piroe’s score of 21.4 per cent with just two of those aforementioned 19 goals being headers – though admittedly Sargent himself scored just one header inside his 15 efforts.
Sargent also recorded a better shot accuracy – shots on target from total shots taken – than Piroe (46.8 per cent vs 38.6 per cent). But when game time is factored in, Piroe has a marginally better efficiency per 90 minutes (1.14 v 1.04).
Essentially, it means Piroe managed to get accurate shots off more frequently in a given game, which is probably due to United’s more dominant nature. There is an argument to suggest Sargent may be better suited to United’s back-foot style of play next season.
But Piroe is regarded as having a more clinical eye for goal, and this shows in his slightly better xG of +2.1 compared to Sargent’s +1.6 – which means the United attacker is more efficient at finding the net from the chances he gets.
Meanwhile, while not languidly slow, Sargent is not known for his pace or transition work. United will be utilising this phase of play a lot next term, quickly switching defence into attack and catching out high lines.
Again, as in the metrics outlined above, while Sargent is perhaps better suited to this style of play than Piroe, he is not what United need. They require a clear-cut upgrade with no ambiguity over who will be the main striker.
Not only is Sargent’s top-flight record unimpressive, his shot-creating actions per game are averagely lower than Piroe’s (2.02 vs 2.43) and he is weaker in the challenge – winning the ball back – than the United attacker (43.8 per cent success rate vs 58.3 per cent).
United need a new striker and they need to pay the big bucks to get the required level of talent. The idea of Sargent marching into Elland Road is deeply underwhelming.
