Joel Piroe has been nominated for the Championship Player of the Month award for April.
The Dutchman was in scintillating form in the penultimate month of the 2021/22 campaign, scoring seven times and registering two assists as Swansea showed plenty of positive signs under Russell Martin ahead of the head coach's second season at the club.
It must be noted that his sublime efforts came in a different role to which he started the campaign in. You can read more on that here. Piroe operated as the lone striker in the opening half of the campaign as Michael Obafemi struggled to adapt following his move from Southampton.
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He has thrived in a deeper role in 2022 which has also been pivotal to Obafemi's dramatic turnaround in fortunes, with the 21-year-old scoring 11 goals in final 19 games of the season having netted just once in his first 14 appearances for the club.
But the month of April firmly put the spotlight on a player who appears destined for the Premier League. Piroe was withdrawn in the second half of the final day defeat to Queens Park Rangers, with Russell Martin later admitting the former PSV Eindhoven ace was unable to produce his best form against Mark Warburton's side due to the intense speculation surrounding his future.
"He's a young man, there's a lot of speculation and noise and I don't think he could perform at his best today because of it," said Martin. "That was it really. He deserved an ovation from the supporters for what he's given us this season. You can read Martin's comments on Piroe in full here.
Piroe ended his debut campaign in south Wales having scored 24 goals, the same total Oli McBurnie managed under Graham Potter in 2018/19 before being sold to Sheffield United for a base fee of £18m. The Scot, like Piroe now, was also 22 years of age at the end of that campaign, so that appears to be a fair ballpark figure for Swansea to demand when it comes to their prized asset Piroe.
However, the reality is that - aside from those in the upper echelons of the game - clubs aren't exactly flush with cash at present owing to the coronavirus pandemic. As Swansea have found out with players such as Joe Rodon and Connor Roberts in recent windows, fees received have not been as high as hoped, with the timing of those transfers doing little to help the Swans' cause. Another disrupted pre-season is the last thing needed.
Swansea chiefs have agreed on their valuation of Piroe, and head coach Martin has said if that figure is met, the club would be in a strong position to keep hold of their other stars. Leicester City have shown an interest in the 22-year-old, although a recruitment source told WalesOnline that there is "no movement at this time" regarding the forward's current situation.
How much do you think Joel Piroe is worth? Have your say in our comments section here.
With a financial hole to fill, Piroe is quite simply the player who would earn Swansea the most money if sold this summer. He has two years left to run on his Swans contract, and the club have every right to demand as high a fee as possible given his efforts under Martin's tutelage.
What Swansea don't want or need is a transfer saga that drags on throughout the summer. And it's fair to say Piroe has conducted himself admirably, which typifies his character and will only further encourage potential suitors to move for his signature.
Piroe is up against Nottingham Forest's Brennan Johnson, Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke and Huddersfield Town's Harry Toffolo for the April Championship Player of the Month award.
Meanwhile, Russell Martin has been nominated for the Manager of the Month award for April. It comes after the Swans embarked on a nine-game unbeaten run, seven of which were in the penultimate month of the season.
The Swansea boss is up against Nottingham Forest's Steve Cooper, Millwall manager Gary Rowett and Huddersfield Town head coach Carlos Corberan for the award. The winner of both prizes will be announced on Friday.
