Middlesbrough will soon have a decision to make on the future of Sam Greenwood.
The attacker is currently on loan at The Riverside Stadium from Leeds United, having made that move in the summer.
As part of that deal, they Michael Carrick‘s side do have the option to make that deal permanent in this summer’s transfer window.
That would cost the club somewhere in the region of £1.5million. Carrick has recently suggested that Middlesbrough will make a decision on the future of the 22-year-old further down the line.
However, it seems that one statistic from Greenwood’s season so far, may not work in his favour when it comes to such a potential deal.
Sam Greenwood top of the Championship fouling charts
So far this season, Greenwood has made 31 Championship appearances for Middlesbrough.
According to WhoScored, the on-loan Leeds United man is conceding an average of 1.9 fouls per 90 minutes while he is on the pitch.
The next highest in that category is Sam Morsy. The Ipswich Town midfielder is conceding 1.7 tackles per game as things stand.
That therefore, could give Middlesbrough another issue to think about, when it comes to whether or not they take up the option to make Greenwood’s move permanent in the summer.
‘Boro currently sit 10th in the Championship table, seven points adrift of the play-off places.
Middlesbrough will be concerned by Sam Greenwood statistic
It is hard to imagine this being anything other than a worry for Carrick and his team.
Fouls are not something that any team wants to give away anywhere on the pitch, so this is a problem that Middlesbrough need to avoid as much as possible.
However, it seems Greenwood is struggling to do that, considering how often he is being penalised for them.
As a result, there may be some around The Riverside Stadium, who are concerned that the way he is playing and giving these away, could be holding their side back.
Indeed, Morsy does have a reputation for being one of those hard-tackling midfielders who gives away plenty of fouls.
So for Greenwood to be conceding more than him on average, does feel rather telling. It is also worth noting that the attacker has not been as effective in front of goal this season, as ‘Boro would have wanted him to be.
Combine these two issues together, and you get the feeling that it would be a surprise to see him in a Middlesbrough shirt again next season.