Champions of the table According to a TEAMtalk report, Leicester City are one of several clubs interested in Middlesbrough loanee Sam Greenwood.
The attacking midfielder from Leeds United was loaned out to the Riverside Stadium at the end of the summer transfer window after Daniel Farke was unable to find a place for him in his squad at Elland Road.
Greenwood has recently been scouted by a number of clubs, including Premier League quartet West Ham United, Crystal Palace, Brentford, and Fulham, following his performances for Michael Carrick.
Leicester and Southampton, who are both aiming for promotion this season and are also interested in Greenwood, have joined them.
This season, how has Sam Greenwood performed for Middlesbrough?
Greenwood had to wait a few weeks for his first league start in Boro colors, but since being chosen for a number of starts by Carrick, he has mostly found himself on the left side of a front four at the Riverside Stadium.
And he has four goals for the Teessiders, including a stunning strike against Leicester in November to earn all three points.
Boro have agreed a £1.5 million purchase clause with Leeds for the end of the season, but Greenwood, of course, could turn down the move at the personal terms stage, and TEAMtalk’s report claims that if Middlesbrough do not win promotion to the Premier League, their chances of landing the 21-year-old permanently will be slim.
Would Sam Greenwood be a good addition to Leicester City’s squad?
Some FLW writers have weighed in on whether Greenwood would fit in at Leicester; let’s see what they think…
Wignall, Ben
With Premier League experience under his belt from Leeds, I was surprised that Daniel Farke couldn’t fit Greenwood into his squad this season.
He is more than benefiting from playing regular football for Middlesbrough and has scored some brilliant goals as a result, which will get you noticed.
The inclusion of a £1.5 million clause in the deal suggests that Greenwood has no future at Elland Road, even if he has a good season and turns down a full-time move to Boro, but he would be a good addition to a newly-promoted Premier League squad.
Leicester could use him in one of the advanced midfield positions alongside Kieran Dewsbury-Hall, which would make good use of his ability to carve things out of nothing from range.
Rest assured, if there is a deal to be done elsewhere, the fee would be much higher than the £1.5 million agreed with Boro, so Leicester would have to get their wallet out – but at the age of 22 next season, Greenwood will have a lot to offer and would be a good addition at the King Power Stadium.
Mr. Alfie Burns
This is a potential transfer that will rip you apart.
Greenwood has a natural talent. Leeds brought him in from Arsenal, and he played in the Premier League quite regularly for them after Marcelo Bielsa left the club – despite being relegated, being involved at the level is still a feat in itself.
Daniel Farke has loaned out Greenwood, presumably to maximize his transfer value, given that he doesn’t see a place for him in the Elland Road squad, and, to be fair to the attacking midfielder, he’s making a good impression at Middlesbrough.
What bothers me is that Leicester should be preparing for life in the Premier League in 2024/25, and they should question whether Greenwood is at that level or just a very good Championship player.
He scored once and assisted four times in 25 Premier League games for Leeds. He was playing in a bad team and was occasionally used out of position in central midfield, but he didn’t pull up the kind of trees Leicester will need if they are to return to the top flight.
Greenwood has the potential; it’s just a risk that you’d have to wonder if a promoted side from the Championship could really take.
