FLW’s verdict on Middlesbrough holding a £1.5m option to sign Sam Greenwood on a permanent basis
This article is part of Football League World’s “The Verdict” series, featuring personal opinions from FLW writers on the latest news, teams, players, coaches, potential signings and more…
Middlesbrough have £1.5m to sign Leeds United loanee Sam Greenwood.
According to The Athletic, Boro could offload the striker from their Championship rivals once his loan spell ends.
Greenwood joined the Teesside club on a temporary basis during last summer’s transfer window.
The SM side have until the end of the campaign to decide whether to keep the 21-year-old permanently.
Should Middlesbrough sign Sam Greenwood from Leeds United? Greenwood has scored in six appearances for Michael Carrick’s side so far this league campaign.
Here we ask our FLW writers their verdict on whether Middlesbrough should already be considering pulling the trigger on this £1.5 million deal…
Declan Harte
Greenwood has played well for Middlesbrough and has proven a useful addition to the first team squad.
While he has been far from spectacular, a fee of just £1.5 million makes it a no-brainer that they should look to keep him on beyond the end of his loan stint.
Greenwood helps fill out the squad in an important position, has an understanding of what’s needed from him from Carrick and is growing in confidence with every game.
The 21-year-old is also proving a versatile asset to have in the squad, as he has performed through the middle and out on the left flank in recent weeks.
He may have only started two of his six appearances in the league so far this season, but having a dependable option from the bench is still a great thing for Carrick to have available to him.
At 21, he also still has plenty of time to improve and develop into a more regular starter.
He has taken a few weeks to adjust to his new surroundings, but he is looking more and more comfortable as part of Carrick’s squad, as evidenced by his first goal for the club coming last weekend against Sunderland.
For a relatively small fee of £1.5 million, it makes sense to hold onto a player that could see his value really rise in the years to come if he can continue improving.
Alfie Burns
It’s really early in the season and Greenwood is going to have to build on his goalscoring outing against Sunderland to fully convince everyone at Middlesbrough that he’s worth a punt in the long-term.
What the attacker brings is versatility, composure, creativity and a willingness to learn – he’s got a lot of traits that Carrick will like and could become a really good player in the future.
Let’s say he has a good season with Boro, plays regularly and scores plenty of goals, £1.5m will be a snip given he will have two years left on his deal at Elland Road. He could be a player worth £5m+, so if Boro get him at £1.5m after a good season, they’ll be delighted.
From Leeds’ perspective, it is very weird that this is the situation they are in. They are essentially taking a loss on Greenwood if he leaves permanently and, unless they win promotion, are losing him to a divisional rival. Whilst Greenwood might not be Farke’s man like he was Jesse Marsch’s, he’s still a talent that could command a greater fee further down the line.
It is early, though, and is probably one to revisit later in the season when we can see how Greenwood’s loan has progressed.
