Leeds United made one addition to their squad during the January transfer window as right-back Connor Roberts was brought in on loan from Burnley on deadline day.
That move took their tally of incoming business to ten in the Daniel Farke era after the German tactician was brought in last summer to lead the club back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, the former Norwich City head coach was allowed to bring in nine new players to bolster his squad for the Championship season.
Three of those came in on loan and one of them – Djed Spence – has already been sent back to Tottenham Hotspur earlier than expected, having joined on season-long basis initially.
Sam Byram
Free
Djed Spence
Loan
Joe Rodon
Loan
Jaidon Anthony
Loan
Glen Kamara
Permanent
Joel Piroe
Permanent
Ethan Ampadu
Permanent
Ilia Gruev
Permanent
Karl Darlow
Permanent
As you can see in the table above, the Yorkshire-based outfit went all out last summer to improve their options across the pitch to fight for promotion.
They also allowed a host of players to depart, including the likes of Tyler Adams, Rodrigo, Jack Harrison, Marc Roca, among others, and one possible blunder came with Sam Greenwood's move to Middlesbrough.
Sam Greenwood's future at Elland Road
The former Arsenal prospect is facing an uncertain future at Elland Road ahead of the summer transfer window as Michael Carrick's side have an option to sign him permanently.
It was reported by The Athletic that Boro can snap him up on a permanent deal for a fee of £1.5m at the end of his current loan spell at the Riverside.
That figure would see Leeds recoup all of the £1.5m they splashed out on his services to sign him from Premier League side Arsenal back in 2020.
However, there is no guarantee that Middlesbrough will activate that option or that Greenwood will give the green-light to make the move permanent.
TEAMtalk reported in December that the Championship side could struggle to keep hold of their loan star if they fail to achieve promotion as West Ham, Crystal Palace, Brentford, Fulham, Leicester, and Southampton are all keeping tabs on his progress this season.
This suggests that there will be no shortage of suitors, in the Premier League or the second tier, for him in the summer if a permanent transfer to Teeside does not come to pass.
It, therefore, remains to be seen whether or not Leeds supporters will get the opportunity to see him play for their side again amid growing interest in his services, and taking Boro's option to buy into consideration.
The Whites may, as a result, have already lost their upgrade on current loanee Jaidon Anthony, who has not hit the ground running in Yorkshire.
Their respective performances this season suggest that Leeds may have been better off keeping faith in Greenwood instead of bringing the Bournemouth winger in.
Jaidon Anthony's struggles in front of goal
The 24-year-old was snapped up on a temporary basis from the Cherries after he failed to prove his worth on a consistent basis in the Premier League.
Anthony made 33 appearances in the top-flight for his parent club, including three at the start of the current campaign, and contributed with three goals and one assist from the wing.
Appearances
30
Starts
11
Goals
Three
Assists
One
Big chances created
Zero
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the young gem struggled to step up to the quality of the Premier League as he was unable to provide consistent end product in the final third, as a scorer or a creator.
This led to his move to Leeds on loan and the English dynamo has, once again, struggled with a lack of production at the top end of the pitch.
Anthony has made 21 appearances in the Championship so far this season and racked up one goal and zero assists for the Whites in total, with zero 'big chances' created and 0.4 key passes per game.
It must be said, though, that only two of those outings came as a starter and he has often been tasked with making a difference off the bench, which the Cherries loanee has not been able to do.
Sam Greenwood's form for Middlesbrough
Meanwhile, Sam Greenwood has caught the eye with his contributions at the top end of the pitch from a midfield or wide position for Middlesbrough.
The 22-year-old whiz, who is two years younger than Anthony, has produced five goals, three assists, and two 'big chances' created for Carrick's side in 25 Championship outings.
All five of those goals and two of those three assists have come in 14 appearances on the left flank for Boro, which is where the Bournemouth forward has predominantly been deployed by Leeds.
This means that Greenwood has averaged a goal contribution every two outings on the left, as a midfielder or winger, side of the pitch in the division this season.
Appearances
25
21
Goals
Five
One
Assists
Three
Zero
Big chances created
Two
Zero
Goal conversion rate
9%
6%
Stats via Sofascore
The Boro star, who scored 22 goals in 43 games for Leeds at U21 level, currently ranks within the top 35% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Championship for both non-penalty goals (0.28) and assists (0.17) per 90 respectively.
These statistics suggest that the gem, who ex-Leeds man Noel Whelan once hailed as an "immense" set-piece "weapon", has been an above-average performer at the top end of the pitch as both a scorer and a creator of goals for his team.
Whereas, as you can see in his aforementioned statistics, Anthony has failed to deliver much in the way of quality in the final third, which has contributed to his lack of minutes on the pitch.
It could, therefore, be argued that Leeds fumbled an upgrade on the 24-year-old winger and, potentially, wasted a loan spot on him as they already had Greenwood in the building and allowed him to move on.
The £9k-per-week youngster is now impressing onlookers at Middlesbrough and has earned interest from teams in the Premier League, which could see him move on from Elland Road permanently in the summer. Ultimately, his future is not in their hands now with Boro's option to buy.