Leeds United are likely to be in the January market for a new playmaker this month in order to provide competition or just back-up to United States ace Brenden Aaronson.
Aaronson has been made to start the last 22 Championship games in a row under Daniel Farke and while he has sparkled, there are still some doubts surrounding the £25m signing and competition is required.
Leeds have been told £6.6m is enough for Diego Luna, Real Salt Lake’s MLS Young Player of the Season. The 49ers are interested, while Leeds are still eyeing Gus Hamer after £13m was rejected in the summer.
A January move for Hamer remains unlikely and especially from Sheffield United to Leeds given the two sides are fighting for automatic promotion. But there is one player on Leeds’ books, currently on fire.
Paul Heckingbottom says if Sam Greenwood will be recalled
Sam Greenwood is enjoying his second loan spell away having spent last term on loan with Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough. This season, he is at Preston under former Leeds boss Paul Heckingbottom.
Greenwood has exactly the same stats as Aaronson – seven goals, two assists. But he has done it in a side that are right at the other end of the table and Preston may have been worried about a recall by Leeds.
But, Heckingbottom has put that to bed – telling the Lancashire Evening Post: “Sam is staying. Sam is loving it here. He gets what we want from him and what the expectations are, but likewise that suits him.
“He loves football and loves playing. He wants to improve and feels like he’s getting that here. Not only the opportunity on the pitch, but we work with him on the analysis side of things on the training ground.
“So yeah, he’s happy. He is bringing his strengths to the team and what he understands too is that the team comes first. He is a team player and that’s really important,” Heckingbottom said about Greenwood.
Why has Sam Greenwood not been considered by Farke?
It is an interesting one. Greenwood is a set-piece specialist, something Leeds had lacked last season and currently, only one player this season can be coined with the same term, in the form of Joe Rothwell.
Not only that, but Greenwood can play in a number of positions. He played in central midfield under Jesse Marsch, he played out wide at Middlesbrough, was a striker at youth and a no.10 over at Preston.
His form for a struggling Championship side in Preston will not have gone unnoticed. But it might be that Greenwood simply wants to start games and maybe that is why Farke has not been able to use him.
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