Jacob Greaves might be the best investment that Ipswich Town have ever made.
He’s definitely the most economical one, having purchased him from Hull City for only £18 million.
For this princely sum, Ipswitch have bagged themselves a player that delivers on technical, tactical, mental, and physical ability.
The intelligence and versatility of Greaves will no doubt prove invaluable for the Tractor Boys throughout their first Premier League season in 22 years.
Teams that have recently been promoted don’t always have a lot of money to their name, so need to look for the best quality bargains they can find from lower leagues.
This is exactly what has happened with Greaves – which is, in some way, a testament to his technical ability.
Being in the spotlight for the first time, the 23-year-old will no doubt become a popular player at the bookies.
He’ll definitely win football bettors over with his positioning, strength, and speed.
As highlighted by Peter Addison, most new UK bookies offer in-play betting, which means bettors will be able to wager on Greaves as they get to know him and his style of play.
The first thing that spectators will notice about Greaves is his technical dominance on the pitch.
He’s got a penchant for attacking the ball in the air and his 1.93m height ensures he can maintain plenty of air presence.
He’s got a powerful jump, which allows him to tower over opponents easily.
Greaves won most aerial duels he engaged in during his time on loan to Cheltenham Town as well as every game he played for Hull City.
This is, perhaps, why he was Hull’s Player of the Year in 2023/2024.
However, winning duels is one thing, but maintaining them is another.
Luckily for Ipswich, Greaves is more than proficient in both categories.
Once Greaves wins a ball, he’ll most likely drive it further up the pitch or, depending on the positions of the opposing team, play it safe with a short pass.
He’s not exactly the best player ever when it comes to long passes.
When Greaves long passes, his accuracy clearly dwindles.
However, this is something that can definitely be worked on at Ipswich.
When Greaves isn’t airborne, he’s winning balls with his long legs and his feet planted on the ground.
He can easily snatch a ball from the back or the side of a player, without risking accusations of foul play.
This really proves his excellent sense of timing.
He appears to have some real smarts too when it comes to analysing players.
He’s not reckless in his attacks and seems to find enough time to analyse the play of each player he encounters before engaging with them.
He’s often seen standing off for a few seconds before going in for the attack.
This extra thinking time helps him to determine the best means of confronting a player and often proves successful.
It also helps him analyse the game as a whole in real-time.
He’s able to identify chances for the opposing team and shut them down as necessary.
Besides attacking, Greaves is also good at positioning himself.
He manages to stay predominately central, which is a great bonus to his teammates.
Greaves is versatile and can play both left and centre back when necessary.
During the 2022/2023 season, he served as vice-captain and scored four goals and contributed two assists.
One of Greaves’ goals took place during a game against Rotherham in which Greaves played in left back.
The fact he scored in this position really proves how active he is all over the pitch and is a testament to his diversity as a player.
Overall, Greaves brought style, control, and timing to the EFL Championship last season.
While he’s not played in the Premiership before, his skillset proves that he’s ready for it.
He’ll definitely be at the centre of many crypto gambling sports bets throughout the upcoming football season.
Greeves has signed a five-year contract with Ipswich, during which time he’s bound to hone his skills as a player and become even more of a quintessential centreback.
The £18 million deal will definitely pay off for Ipswich.
