Leeds United are eight points adrift of the automatic promotion places after they were beaten 2-1 by Preston North End at Deepdale on Boxing Day.
The Whites failed to pick up any points in Lancashire in the early kick-off as an Illan Meslier red card was followed by goals from Alan Browne and Liam Millar on either side of an equaliser from Pascal Struijk.
Ipswich Town dropped points later in the day against Leicester City and that meant that Daniel Farke's side would have been five points off the top two had they beaten Preston.
Instead, they are now fourth in the table – below Southampton who moved up to third – and eight points behind the Tractor Boys in the hunt for promotion back to the Premier League.
The January transfer window is open from the start of next week and Farke could dip into the market to give his team a boost ahead of the second half of the campaign.
Leeds transfer news – a number ten
Journalist Dean Jones recently told GIVEMESPORT that he could see Leeds being tempted to enter the market for a natural number ten next month.
The Whites do not have an out-and-out attacking midfielder in their squad as it stands, and the reporter suggested that, whilst there is no guarantee anything will happen, it would not be a surprise to see something come up in that area of the pitch.
Dutch centre-forward Joel Piroe has been utilised in the number ten role so far this season and Farke could land an instant upgrade, just months after his arrival last summer, by swooping to sign Celtic's Matt O'Riley in January.
The Scottish Sun reported in August that the Hoops rejected an offer from Leeds for the Denmark international, who was also wanted by Italian side Bologna.
It was claimed that the German tactician was keen to bring the attacking midfielder to Elland Road to link up with the likes of Ethan Ampadu and Glen Kamara, who was close to a move to Yorkshire from Rangers at the time.
The Whites must now reignite their interest in the former Fulham whiz to bolster their squad in January as he could be a big upgrade on Piroe, who struggled again on Tuesday.
Piroe's performance against Preston in numbers
The summer signing from Swansea lined up as the number ten in Farke's 4-2-3-1 formation as Georgino Rutter once again led the line.
He played the opening 55 minutes of the match before being substituted as the left-footed attacker failed to make an impact on the game.
Piroe lost 100% (2/2) of his duels as the opposition found it far too easy to get the better of him in physical contests and he failed to engage in many battles to help his team out.
The Dutch gem also created just one chance for his teammates, which was not a 'big chance', and did not manage a shot on target in his 55 minutes.
Analyst Louorns on X went as far as to say that Piroe is "invisible" 90% of the time and that Leeds should have spent money on a player who offers more during matches than him.
Piroe's season in numbers
The 24-year-old marksman has been solid but unspectacular since his summer switch from Championship rivals Swansea earlier this year.
Piroe has racked up nine goals and one assist in 24 league matches for the Swans and Leeds combined, which is less than a goal involvement every other game on average.
Appearances
45
43
Three
Goals
22
19
Zero
Assists
Six
Two
Zero
Big chances missed
11
19
One
As you can see from the table above, he was a prolific scorer during his time in Wales but rarely contributed as a creator for his teammates and missed plenty of good opportunities in front of goal.
His finishing has left a bit to be desired so far this season for the Whites as the forward has only scored nine goals from 9.90 and missed seven 'big chances' across his 24 league outings.
He has also only managed one assist and produced 0.9 key passes per game, and this shows that the makeshift number ten does not provide his fellow attackers with chances to score on a regular basis.
These statistics highlight how underwhelming Piroe has been so far this season and O'Riley could now come in as an instant upgrade on him if Leeds can secure his signature.
The statistics that show why Leeds should sign O'Riley
The 23-year-old midfielder has been in fantastic form for the Scottish giants so far this season and could be an excellent signing for the Whites.
He has been superb in front of goal with nine goals in 19 Scottish Premiership matches for Brendan Rodgers' side, which means that the talented gem has as many goals as Piroe in five fewer appearances. This suggests that they both offer a similar level of goal threat from a midfield or number ten position for their respective sides.
Appearances
32
Sofascore rating
7.30
Goals
Three
Assists
12
Big chances created
16
The Denmark international, who was hailed as "complete" by journalist Josh Bunting earlier this season, can provide goals from midfield but he is also a sensational creator for his teammates.
O'Riley has produced 2.6 key passes per game and assisted five goals in 19 league outings this term, following on from 12 assists and 16 'big chances' created in 32 matches during the 2022/23 campaign.
Only Crysencio Summerville (three) has managed more than 2.1 key passes per clash in the Championship this season and this suggests that the Celtic star would be one of Farke's outstanding creators at the top end of the pitch.
These statistics show that the 6 foot 2 magician has the quality to come in as a big upgrade on Piroe, given their similar goal output and the drastic difference in creativity between them.
The Hoops whiz could help Leeds to unlock opposition defences, like Preston's on Boxing Day, more frequently than the Dutch forward, who is not a natural creator in the number ten role.
