Former Swansea City star Joël Piroe has told Voetbalzone that the time he spent with the Welsh club has been crucial for his career.
The 24-year-old graduated from PSV Eindhoven’s academy and spent two years with their first team.
Piroe wasn’t given regular opportunities and that convinced him to leave the Eredivisie side for Swansea City in 2021. This move not only helped the Dutchman to feature regularly but also showcase his qualities.
At the Championship side, operating mainly as a striker and at times in other attacking positions, he scored 46 goals and registered eight assists from 96 games.
Looking back on his move to Swansea City, he said: “For the first time in my career I got a lot of playing minutes in a first team. This allowed me to finally really show myself. My confidence increased every week. That was also reflected in my playing and grades.
“It was definitely the step I needed. I thought for a long time that I was ready for more playing minutes. Unfortunately, that was not possible at PSV. When Swansea signed up it seemed like a good option. I liked playing in the Championship.”
A move to the Welsh club meant the attacker had to be away from his family for the first time and he had to get used to it quickly.
“When I played for PSV, I still lived at home with my parents. Suddenly you are alone in Wales. To be honest, I got used to that quickly. Swansea has given me a great welcome. This also made me immediately valuable on the field. I really had nothing to complain about,” Piroe explained.
Piroe’s impressive performances for Swansea City led to interest from the Premier League, but he turned it down to join Leeds United last summer.
His time in the UK has been memorable for him so far, partly because of the fans of Swans and Whites supporters.
“Football is more alive here than in the Netherlands, I have really noticed that. In Wales people even went shopping with my shirt on. In both Swansea and Leeds you can’t enter the city without seeing 30-40 supporters in club clothing. When I see my name on a shirt like that, I think it’s special,” the Dutchman added.
