Leeds United are not just sending shockwaves to the rest of the Premier League with their senior additions this summer, but the improvements made to their youth setup have also caught the eye.
Victor Orta has acted quickly to bring in Rodrigo from Valencia and Robin Koch from Freiburg with Udinese’s Rodrigo De Paul seemingly next on the agenda.
Although just under a handful of names have walked in as part of the academy at Thorp Arch.
One of which is talented ex-Arsenal forward Sam Greenwood to add to the coveted Joe Gelhardt but if one is going to have a crack at the first-team, then it should absolutely be the former.
The 18-year-old has been one of the Gunners’ brightest prospects over the past couple of years and as a result, was once mooted with a move to Juventus and AC Milan.
What gives him a great chance of catching Marcelo Bielsa’s eye further is his ability to play anywhere along the front three as well as in the hole.
For the U18 squad in north London, Greenwood bagged 15 times and provided six assists from 39 appearances via Transfermarkt, leading to his coach Ken Gillard waxing lyrical about him:
“Sam Greenwood upfront I thought played really well, led the line really well for us. He worked tirelessly up there for us. I thought his hold up play was very good. He caused them problems, ran in-behind and chased down so he gave a really good performance and took his goals well and he could have had another one as well.”
Greenwood’s playing style and technique has led to some comparing him to former Arsenal and Man Utd striker Robin van Persie – Football.London highlight the teenager’s “exceptional ball-striking ability” as another reason.
Bielsa doesn’t often throw the gauntlet down to his youngsters but the likes of Leif Davis, Jamie Shackleton and Pascal Struijk have all been handed opportunities since the Argentine took over.
If there’s someone else he should trust, then look no further than Greenwood.
The post Marcelo Bielsa must let Sam Greenwood loose at Leeds this season first appeared on FootballFanCast.com.
