Having arrived at Elland Road last summer, Joël Piroe has impressed in his debut season at Leeds United.
The attacking midfielder has scored 12 goals and registered an assist from 33 games for the Whites so far.
Voetbalzone had a detailed chat with the 24-year-old and one of the topics discussed was about his decision to join Leeds.
The Championship side signed him from Swansea City, after he managed 20 goals and two assists from 45 games last season.
His performances for the Welsh club had attracted interest from the Premier League, but he picked Leeds because they “gave him confidence”.
On his decision to join Daniel Farke’s side, he said: “At Leeds, I can really conquer my place, so that I’ll be there when we manage to get promoted to the Premier League. Last summer, I already had options in that competition, but then you sometimes choose a club that has to fight against relegation or you are picked up as a nineteenth man.”
The Dutchman is thrilled with his experience at Elland Road so far and remains confident that the Whites can return to the top flight next season. Leeds are currently in third spot.
Piroe also spoke about a desire of moving to Spain in the future, mainly because of watching Real Madrid and Barcelona as a child.
“I grew up at a time when Barca and Real Madrid were the biggest clubs in the world,” Piroe explained.
“Every El Clasico was great to watch. It’d certainly be nice to play in Spain one day, although I must say that the Premier League has become so strong in recent years that no one can ignore it anymore. At the moment, it’s simply the biggest and best competition in the world. I want to experience that first.”
The former PSV Eindhoven man has also opened the door to returning to the Eredivisie at some point in the future.
On his short-term goal, he said: “In the short term, I want to play in the Premier League with Leeds and I also want to show that I can score my goals at that level.”
So that’s Premier League with Leeds United, potentially Spain and then a return to Dutch football.
