Swansea City’s Goal-Scoring Woes Persist Following Joel Piroe’s Exit

Football pundit Iwan Roberts attributes Swansea City’s ongoing difficulties in scoring goals primarily to the club’s failure to secure a replacement for Joel Piroe. Dutch forward Piroe was transferred to Leeds United in August 2023. During his tenure with the Swans, he netted 46 goals in 96 appearances across all competitions. In the 2023-24 season, Jamal Lowe and Jerry Yates concluded the campaign as Swansea’s joint-top scorers, each registering just nine goals across all competitions. This current term, Swansea’s offensive struggles have intensified, with Luke Williams’ squad managing only eight goals in 12 league matches so far, marking the lowest return in the Championship. “I think it’s [lack of goals] been a big problem for the club since Joel Piroe left for Leeds,” Roberts informed Radio Cymru’s Dros Frecwast. He added, “Last season, their top scorers were Jamal Lowe and Jerry Yates, they scored nine each, that’s such a low total.” While the former Wales international expressed some empathy for Swansea’s attacking players, he underscored the need for the club’s midfielders to exert a greater influence in the final third. He further elaborated on individual player statistics: “You look now, [Zan] Vipotnik has scored one in 11 [Championship games], [Liam] Cullen two in nine, Ronald none in 12, he’s only scored three in 30 since joining the club, two of those came in the same game. Eom [Ji-sung], no goals in nine, [Ollie] Cooper one in 12.” Roberts concluded, “I don’t see any of those players going on to score more than 10 goals this season. That’s why they’re in the situation they’re in.” He also remarked, “They’re lucky the defence is performing well, but there has to be a responsibility on the players in the middle of the pitch.” Finally, he questioned the offensive contributions of certain midfielders: “Is Matt Grimes doing enough to get up the pitch? Are [Goncalo] Franco and Jay Fulton? I don’t think those players are contributing enough in terms of goals.”