Sam Greenwood exit condition named as Preston eye Leeds United agreement
Alex Neil has urged Preston North End to sign Sam Greenwood on a permanent deal, but added the caveat that his Leeds United salary could prove a problem.
The 22-year-old has been “brilliant” in Lancashire, providing six goal contributions in 16 Championship appearances, and is slowly gaining interest from potential suitors for his displays at Preston.
However, former Preston manager Neil told BBC’s Lancashire Sport [10 December] that the Lilywhites should be able to make the loan move permanent if Greenwood continues to impress.
He said: “I don’t know what the situation is with Preston in terms of [Kaine] Kesler-Hayden or Greenwood, but I would presume they should be two players who Preston could go and get. They have been about the block.
“Greenwood was at Middlesbrough and Kesler-Hayden was at Huddersfield and Plymouth. We are not talking about guys who are expected to go back to their respective clubs and break in, the way a Ben Doak is or an Anthony Gordon was – or someone like that. I would think that these two guys are much more realistic options, for Preston to keep them.
“The issue with Greenwood might be the salary in general. I don’t know where that sits. But, if you are at a club like Leeds, you would imagine that most Leeds players would be on a chunky salary.”
Sam Greenwood will leave Leeds United at the end of the season
Greenwood has been enjoying his most prolific goalscoring spell in Lancashire, but it is unlikely that it will be enough to force a starting berth upon his return to Elland Road.
Daniel Farke has been urged to strengthen the frontline in the upcoming January transfer window to further push the promotion bid despite boasting three options for one lone striker role.
Joel Piroe and Mateo Joseph have shared the burden of goals at Elland Road this year while Patrick Bamford has watched on from the sidelines – one more centre-forward to contend with would be too great a task for Greenwood in West Yorkshire.
It is a shame as the Thorp Arch product is proving a regular goalscorer in the second tier, but if Leeds secure a long-awaited return to the Premier League, Farke will set his sights on acquiring a top-name centre-forward to provide the goals next season.
A permanent switch to Deepdale would make sense for all parties – in that case, Greenwood would hardly require a big-money fee, and the forward can get the regular game time he deserves.
Greenwood’s wages could be a stumbling block, but surely he would be willing to take the necessary pay-cut to ensure he remains a key player in the Championship.
Leeds, on the other hand, will need to figure out what to do with the Piroe, Joseph conundrum at Elland Road, with both failing to score consistently enough to warrant leading the line for, hopefully, a newly-promoted Premier League outfit.
In other Leeds news, Ally McCoist makes an “impossible” Daniel Farke claim for the Whites.
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