Leeds United will be feeling even more nervous for the trip to Middlesbrough on Monday night now, having watched on as Leicester City beat West Bromwich Albion 2-1 to send a statement out at the top of the Championship.
Daniel Farke's men will know a victory against Michael Carrick's tricky hosts will put them just one point off Enzo Maresca's Foxes, leapfrogging Ipswich Town in the process too who don't play at all in this round of second-tier games.
There will be a number of calls the German manager has to make in order to try and re-energise his troops to win at the Riverside Stadium, with Joel Piroe in danger of dropping out up top.
Piroe could even be moved on this summer if Leeds can get a good deal back on the striker they signed from Swansea City just last year, with the Dutchman underwhelming as of late donning a Whites strip.
Joel Piroe's season in numbers
Piroe has performed well for his new employers during this debut season in spells, having accumulated 14 goals from 47 games in all competitions to date.
Unfortunately, for an attacker who has been praised for his "clinical" nature by football journalist Josh Bunting in the past, the goals have begun to dry up.
The former Swans man has only found the back of the net an unsatisfactory three times in 2024, with Piroe only firing in one strike in his last 11 Championship outings to make matters even worse.
Piroe couldn't be the goalscoring hero his team desired against Blackburn Rovers last time out when they needed any strike to ripple the back of the net, failing to even hit a single on-target effort at Aynsley Pears' constantly bombarded net.
Therefore, there could well be some temptation from Leeds' end to cash in on their misfiring forward if they can recuperate some of the £12m they splashed out on him last summer.
Piroe's current worth still sees him come in as being a more valuable asset than Daniel James according to Football Transfers, however, even with his form in front of goal falling off for Farke's men.
Piroe's transfer value at Leeds in 2024
The 6 foot 1 attacker has actually seen his transfer value increase since making the switch to Leeds, worth in the region of £12.7m now which would see the Whites make a profit on their struggling 24-year-old if they did decide to try and offload him.
Swansea are, without a doubt, the biggest winners by managing to sell Piroe on for £12m after buying him for a meagre £1m in 2021.
1. Illan Meslier
£20.8m
2. Ethan Ampadu
£20.6m
3. Wilfried Gnonto
£17.5m
4. Archie Gray
£17m
5. Crysencio Summerville
£15.4m
Sourced by Football Transfers
Piroe could also be viewed as a more expendable sale compared to the list of players above, the Whites desperately trying to cling onto the likes of Crysencio Summerville and Archie Gray over the Dutchman.
Remarkably, the 24-year-old is also worth more than James despite experiencing a crisis in confidence in front of goal.
The Welshman is worth a lesser £11m according to Football Transfers, all whilst only being one goal behind Piroe's goal total in all competitions whilst operating down the wing.
Farke will keep his fingers crossed that Piroe can explode back into life as a potent goalscorer in the last few Championship games of the regular season, starting with the trip to the Riverside on Monday evening.
If not, and he continues to underwhelm at the expense of promotion being clinched, it might well be a bold but smart move to sell Piroe on even after just one season in West Yorkshire.
Market Movers
Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?
