Mike Grella's latest loan stop will be back in England's League One.
Grella was sent to Swindon Town on an emergency loan for the remainder of the season from Leeds United, where he has been buried on the depth chart.
The 24-year-old American forward was loaned to League One side Carlisle United earlier in the season and scored three goals in 11 matches before his loan expired. He had a deal in place to be sent to Motherwell in Scotland soon after that, but a ruling from the Scottish FA prohibited the move from taking place, because he had already played for two teams in England this season (he had one appearance early on for Leeds).
Reports from England suggest that he'll start immediately for the Robins, who sit just a point clear of the relegation zone and face fifth-place Southampton this weekend.
What do you think about the move?
Share your thoughts below.
Three letters…Eme Ele Ese
Grella is definitely a championship player. He’s just not had a chance to prove himself. While Leeds are in 6th, their attacking options are probably in the top 2 in the league I would say.
Leeds have only managed to get into 6th cause they’ve scored the most goals; seem to concede like 2-3 goals every week and have only lost once in the last 20 (iirc). So while being in the championship, Leeds are a tough side to break into for an unestablished player like Mike; especially since plenty of goals are being scored already without him.
If Mike were at a lesser Championship side like Scunthorpe or another club of that caliber I’ve no doubt he would have been given a run of games. I was hoping Mike would go to a club like that in January but the story was at the time that the club was unwilling to let him go at the time in spite of his wanting to go loan. I think they favored this 93 day loan option and that way they have a bit of insurance for the better part of February in case of an injury.
Nothing wrong with a League 1/Championship-level career; remember Grella was wanted in Scotland right but that deal cratered for a bureaucratic reason.
Anyway, Grella is a talent just not a top drawer talent.
I am sure he will be happier getting on field in League 1 though than ‘did not dress’ for Leeds.
My company has an office in Swindon (I was there last month). I think I might have one of my coworkers go town to the team store and purchase a long sleeve home kit and send it to me!
Grella’s contract ends at the end of the 2012 season.
I think his contract is up at the end of the season. If anything these loans are good as it allows him to get games and show his potential to other clubs. If he stayed at Leeds for the rest of the season it wouldn’t happen. He can’t even make the bench for Leeds.
he has no chance of making the bench for Leeds let alone playing for the foreseeable future. He needs to get games under his belt; Carlisle is the only place he’s had a run of games to start so far in his career.
A player can go on loan for up to 93 days to a league that is (usually) below his current league.
Loans within your own league can happen only if there’s injuries to goalkeepers. Like when Man City took Fulop on loan last year.
These types of loans are very common in the lower leagues.
okay regardless, he’s a league 1 or MLS level player. if he were any better hed actually play for leeds.
He has, at most, 2-3 league starts for Leeds. He’s scored 8 goals if you include cup matches if I recall correctly.
His only run in the first team as a professional is his time at Carlisle, where their manager (and fans on msg boards) stated he was clearly playing below his level.
As was said below, he is not a speed striker, more of a player who relies on technique and his eye for the game.
youll see more and more clubs depending on academies rather than ncaa for players because of this reason alone.
He is wanted by Leeds. If he wasn’t they would have let him go in January. He is just behind some strikers who are scoring goals (Becchio, Somma) or strikers who have proven goal-scoring records (Paynter, McCormack) and wingers who are scoring goals seemingly every week.
The big question most Leeds fans have about him is whether or not he’s a striker or not. Most seem to think he’s more of a winger or attacking mid. He got a bit of action on the left in a 4-3-3 at Carlisle and did well there.
Come to MLS, you’ll start, get a look from Bob, maybe get a chance at a bigger signing.
He’s not at all a “speed guy” who gets behind the defense. He’s a hold up striker who prefers to play in the hole.
because they’re great college club players, and thats it. Look at Adam Bruh, he played at Michigan, holds all sorts of records and was playing for the Long Island Rough Riders last time I checked. Not everyone can be clint dempsey or stu holden
+1 FourFourTwo sponsor for the home kit and fifa 11 the sponsor for their away kit. nice red and white kits. Classy. They sell them on the teams website.
well if they were mostly starts, then Id say hed performed horribly. If you get on the pitch 30 times and score once, regardless of when you usually get on, it cant be considered good. Especially if youre a little speed guy like Grella whos supposed to get in behind, as opposed to a hold up player like Heskey.
Bottom line is hes a league 1 player. All the goals hes ever scored (all 4 of them) have been in league 1. Absolutely no reason to think hes championship caliber. None.
He’s not young either. If you’re 24 and getting loaned out it either means youre recovering from a serious injury or you’re definitely not in the club’s plans.
Grella and Vidiera, two college teammates who both got a ton of press/accolades at every level, but haven’t really caught on professionally . . . Vidiera can’t even get a sniff in the MLS? I played against both in school, every talented, does anyone have any insight into why? It puzzles me
+1 I feel your pain
Swindon Town! Best jerseys ever!!!
How many of those appearances were starts? I seem to remember him coming on as a very very late sub every time he got playing time. Hard to make in impact in that kind of role.
hes performed at leeds? 30 appearances and 1 goal is performing? I guess it is, but i’d add the word “poorly” onto the end of it.
If anything this will help him keep sharp and confident and get him to a new club in the summer. Right now Leeds are in a promotion playoff spot and if they get promoted there’s no way he’s staying there.
He needs PT bottomline. He scored 3 in 11 games at Carlisle also in League One earlier this year. If you look at the squad Leeds has at least up front it has been pretty good! They’ve had Beckford scoring who is now at Everton, Becchio/Gradel/Johnson whoa are scoring at a nice clip in League 1 and the Championship and Snodgrass/Somma (SA International) who have more experience you can see why he has not had many chances. Not saying he is USMNT or EPL material right now but with in 3 years of PT you never know. I think we have guys just like him in Simek – League one and Whitbread – Championship that could surprise in a couple of summers like Demerit did last WC.
Don’t see how this will be good for him… He needs to settle in with a squad, not be a mercenary for minutes.
I still have hopes for him but it doesn’t look too bright.
He’s performed at every club he’s been at. Unfortunately Leeds doesn’t want him, he needs a transfer but I think he comes good after a season of pure playing time.
Not a PL player, but he’ll do well on a Championship team.
Agreed. At 24, bouncing around, not much playing time…
My understanding is that an emergency loan is typically to replace a player that was injured and so that’s why it can happen outside the transfer window (so long as it’s within English football leagues). Typically you only see it for goalkeepers, but I guess it can be justified to sign a forward as well.
Just curious how a loan is an “emergency loan”, and can occur after the Window closes? Is it allowed since he is going to a lower level squad?
Anyhoo, good luck to Grella, thx for the update Avi.
I think Mike Grella gets more ink than he deserves to based on the trajectory of his career. But hey, I’m commenting on this story, so I guess I’ve already lost.