When Swansea City signed Dutch forward, Joe Piroe, last summer, it was considered a costly gamble that could ultimately backfire. However, barely one year after, the 22-year-old has already proven to be a shrewd acquisition.
As early as five, Piroe was already heralded as a bright prospect. Snapped by SCE Nijmege, he continued his development at Quick 1888 and SC Woezik. But it was at NEC he enjoyed remarkable transformation in 2013, which was witnessed by best Australian online casinos.
Initially a left-sided defender, his manager converted him to a striker due to his high conversion rate. After just a season there, Feyenord came knocking and yet again, the Dutchman obliged. He had a brief but colourful year at Rotterdam and joined PSV in 2019.
After two solid years with the different youth sides, Piroe was rewarded with his first professional contract in November 2016. He then made his senior debut in the Eerste Divisie for Jong PSV the following month in a game against Achilles ’29.
However, the 22-year-old’s career hit brikwall in Eindhoven. The once promising star dwindled with game time few and far between. A loan move to Sparta Rotterham was perceived as the turnaround. But Piroe’s stock continued to crash.
In Rotterham, he found himself in the fringes after a cameo debut against PEC Zwolle. Piroe featured 18 times, starting just once. Nonetheless, he produced two goals. At the expiration of his one year deal, the forward returned to PSV. His fate didn’t change.
He managed just three strikes in 14 appearances. But impressively, the goals came at rate of one in every 72.3 minutes. Also at Spartak, he buried an effort in every 192.5 minutes, or little more than a goal every other game. With more game time, it was believed that Piroe will reach his full potentials.
For this reason, the youngster didn’t think twice when Swansea came knocking. All he wanted at that point was to play more games. “I want to play a lot of games and hopefully score a lot too. I think it’s a very important season for me,” he said after moving to Wales.
However, things didn’t immediately go as planned for the Dutchman. Piroe was dropped for the season’s opener. He was called upon for his debut in the Caraboa Cup against Reading. The 22-year-old marked it with a goal. Since then his celebrations – hand to ear like a telephone, or the Gareth Bale-style heart shape – have become familiar.
Piroe’s tally of 14 Championship strikes is the joint-fifth best in the league this term – with his header against Fulham meaning he now has 16 goals in all competitions in his debut campaign at the club.
He boasts a shot accuracy of 67%, the best of any of the league’s top 10 marksmen while Wales star Brennan Johnson – who has 10 goals to his name in the Championship this season – is the only player younger than Piroe to reach double figures for second tier strikes this term, with best uk online casino backing his games with odds.
He’s also the only man to hit double figures in the league to be tasting life in the Championship for the first time this season, so the adaptation required has been immense to say the least.
Let’s not forget, Piroe came into a club that saw players such as Andre Ayew, Conor Hourihane, Marc Guehi, Connor Roberts and Freddie Woodman depart while a completely new style of play was, and continues to be implemented, meaning even those who remained from two successive play-off campaigns were adapting, making the forward’s efforts all the more impressive.
Now operating in a deeper role, Piroe – who has also chipped in with four assists this season – is continuing to bulge the net while also helping fellow summer signing Michael Obafemi to make his mark after a tough start.
