Following the turbulence of 2022/23, things appear to be looking up as far as Leeds United are concerned, with the promotion hopefuls currently enjoying a six-game unbeaten run in the Championship to put themselves in playoff contention.

Having overseen a major squad overhaul during the summer, new boss Daniel Farke is beginning to reap the rewards of the alterations he has made during his brief tenure thus far, with the "high-quality performance" against Watford last time out – as per The Athletic's Phil Hay – an indication that things are moving in the right direction.

One notable decision that has already proved fruitful is the signing of former Swansea City man, Joel Piroe, with the 24-year-old looking capable of reproducing the prolific form that he showcased over the previous few years at the Liberty Stadium.

The one-time PSV Eindhoven asset had caught the attention of those in Yorkshire after bagging 41 league goals across the last two campaigns behind, with Farke and co eventually splashing out a reported fee of around £12m in order to prise the forward from south Wales.

While it is still early days with regard to his time at Elland Road, Piroe has certainly made his presence felt with four goals in just five league appearances thus far, already placing him as the club's top scorer this term.

Leeds supporters are likely to be delighted with the impact that the new addition has made to date, yet it may still sting that the club could have signed arguably an even better Dutchman last summer, in the form of current Liverpool star, Cody Gakpo.

Why didn't Leeds sign Cody Gakpo?

With Jesse Marsch having steered the Whites to top-flight safety at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, the American coach then embarked on something of a spending spree in an attempt to avoid another relegation scrap the following season, forking out for the likes of Tyler Adams (£20m), Luis Sinisterra (£25.4m) and Brenden Aaronson (£24.7m) – as per Sky Sports.

There was one man missing from that raft of incomings, however, with Marsch and co having been intent on signing Gakpo from his native Holland right up until the end of the window, with the aim of bolstering their attacking ranks.

The suggestion at the time was that with both Leeds and Southampton chasing the then-PSV man, the 6 foot 4 hotshot was set to command a fee of around £25m – a rather reasonable figure in relation to their other spending.

Despite having been "so close" to getting a deal done for the emerging superstar – as Marsch revealed last season – and with personal terms believed to have been agreed, Gakpo ultimately stayed put with the Eredivisie side for the 2022/23 campaign.

As per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the suggestion at the time was that Leeds were intent on bidding again for the versatile forward in the upcoming January window, albeit with the Italian journalist subsequently stating that such a move looked "unlikely", with top European clubs sniffing around.

How much did Liverpool pay for Gakpo?

Heading into that winter window, the suggestion was that rivals Manchester United were set to make a move for the towering marksman, with Erik ten Hag looking to tempt his compatriot into making the switch to Old Trafford.

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Somewhat surprisingly, with Leeds out of the picture, it was Liverpool who came out of the blue to ultimately get their man for a fee believed to be between £35m and £45m, with that figure again looking rather minimal such is his "super talent" – as described by Reds boss Jurgen Klopp.

The in-demand forward had warranted such attention following his standout displays in Eindhoven in the previous campaigns, having contributed 21 goals and assists in just 14 league games in the first half of last season.

With 105 goal involvements under his belt in just 159 games for the Dutch giants – far more than Piroe achieved for PSV (three goals in just 14 senior games) – Gakpo's talent was obvious amid his eventual arrival on Merseyside, having since begun to replicate that form at Anfield over the past six months or so.

How much is Cody Gakpo worth now?

Unlike Piroe – who is yet to enjoy a taste of Premier League football – his compatriot is now flourishing in England's top tier, having ended last season with seven goals and three assists to his name for Klopp's men in the league.

Not only did that include a brace in the 7-0 thrashing of his former admirers, Man United, but the £120k-per-week dynamo also rubbed salt into the wounds of those at Elland Road, after scoring and assisting in the 6-1 victory for Liverpool back in April.

That influential display simply laid bare what the Whites had missed out on just months earlier, emphasised by the fact that Gakpo is now said to be worth as much as €80m (£70m), according to CIES Football Observatory – far beyond Piroe's valuation of €15m (£13m).

How has Gakpo performed this season?

With two goals already under his belt so far this term it looks as if the 19-cap international is set to continue his meteoric rise, with it right to question what might have been had Marsch got his man last summer.

As it proved, only the recently departed Rodrigo reached double figures for goals in all competitions last season as Leeds limply slipped to relegation, with the addition of a menacing attacking threat, like Gakpo, no doubt set to have altered the club's fortunes.

Now enduring life in the Championship, Farke and co do have another PSV youth product to rely upon in the form of Piroe, with the former Netherlands U20 international already showing encouraging signs in recent weeks.

Quite whether the one-time Sparta Rotterdam man – who is yet to earn a senior cap for his country – can reach the same heights as his compatriot remains to be seen, however, with Gakpo looking like the archetypal case of 'one that got away' for the Yorkshire outfit.