Jacob Greaves: From League Two to the Premier League
The center back position in football is always evolving. From the time when center backs were just there to keep the ball out of their net, we’ve reached a time where they have to be good all round: ball distribution, progression, versatility and intelligence.
Clubs have become very specific about the profile of center back they need and are willing to invest in what they believe could be the next big thing in the position. Ruben Dias, Harry Maguire and Josko Gvardiol are a few out of many who’ve come with a tag above £60 million in the Premier League.
While the market in general is highly inflated, teams getting promoted from lower tiers are forced to find hidden gems for a bargain. Ipswich Town have signed Jacob Greaves in the summer of 2024 and he could be a gem of a player who’s come at a low fee of around £18 million. Greaves has played in the three tiers of English football below the Premier League, and now, he’ll have the chance to prove himself in the top-flight.
Greaves started his football journey by joining the academy of Hull City at a young age. Just like every aspiring footballer he had to develop his skills to progress through the ranks of the academy. He signed his first professional contract with Hull in 2019 and was loaned out to League 2 side Cheltenham Town for the 2019-2020 season.
“Jacob is a talented young defender with a lot of potential,” said then Hull City manager Grant McCann in 2019 after Greaves signed his first professional deal before heading out on loan to Cheltenham. “We’re excited to see him develop and grow within our system. He has all the attributes to become a key player for Hull City in the future.”
“Jacob’s loan move to Cheltenham Town is a great opportunity for him to gain valuable first-team experience. Playing regular competitive football will be crucial for his development, and we’re confident he will make the most of this chance.”
Greaves had a great first season as a senior player in the 19-20 season. He started in 29 matches, played 1057 successful passes, 68 long balls and created 7 chances. He also completed 10 dribbles , had 1983 touches of the ball 28 out of which were in the opposition’s box. He won 32 fouls, 29 tackles, 199 duels, 120 aerial duels and completed 31 interceptions and 146 recoveries, and he also won possession 10 times in the final third.
While the lower tiers of English football are physically demanding and aggressive, Greaves displayed control in defense and was also able to help the team in other areas. He displayed his skill and maturity in the loan spell and convinced his coaches at Hull that he was ready.
“Jacob has returned from Cheltenham Town with a wealth of experience and maturity. His performances were outstanding, and he showed great composure and defensive skills. We’re excited to integrate him into our first team and see him continue to grow.” said McCann after the loan spell.
In the 2020-21 season, Greaves established himself as a starter for Hull City in the League One. He started 39 matches and showcased great defensive solidity and composure on the ball. He played 1417 successful passes, 153 accurate long balls and created 9 chances. He also pushed higher up the pitch, having 56 touches in the opponent’s box throughout the season. Defensively he won 38 tackles, 245 duels, 154 aerial duels, completed 47 interceptions and recovered the ball 154 times.
Praising Greaves on his abilities, Hull City captain George Honeyman said “Jacob’s ability to drive forward and pick out key passes has been a huge asset for us. He reads the game so well and makes smart decisions, which has really helped us control the tempo and break down opposition’s defenses.”
While the lower tiers of English football are said to be very physical and aggressive, Greaves stood out for playing with skill and elegance. He helped his club finish on top of the table and get promoted into the Championship. In his first season in the Championship, Greaves started 49 matches. Despite moving a level up, Greaves adjusted very well to the demands of the Championship.
Hull being a bottom team didn’t have the upper hand in games and Greaves became a creative outlet playing 142 long balls to release his teammates. He completed 13 dribbles and 61 of his 2893 touches came in the opponent’s box which shows that he was involved in both attack and defense. As he had more defending to do his defensive number only went up.
Greaves was appointed vice-captain ahead of the 2022/23 season. He contributed 4 goals, 2 assists in the season. One of the goals and assists came against Rotherham where Greaves was the captain and showcased his versatility by playing left back. In the 44th minute of the game Hull got a corner. The ball was played into the box and was moved by a few confusing touches until it ended up with Greaves who slotted it into the right corner to put Hull City into the lead.
Rotherham equalized before the break with a great goal by Daniel Barlaser. In the 52nd minute Hull worked the ball into Christie in the right wing. He moved the ball inside out to confuse the defenders and scored with a near post finish to reinstate Hull’s lead. Hull tripled their lead with a beautiful attack in the 59th minute.
Greaves received a great through ball and played it across the face of the goal for Ryan Longman to tap it in. Greaves displayed his overall skill completing 3 tackles, 4 long balls, 7 recoveries and 10 passes into the final 3rd. He created 3 chances and won 9 duels in the game. The game ended with Hull City winning 4-2 and Greaves won the Man of the Mach award.
The quality of a defender who can play the fullback role or vice-versa is highly valued in today’s time as such players have a good all round skill set. Josko Gvardiol of Manchester City is one of the best examples of this. Another example is Riccardo Calafiori who had his breakthrough season at Bologna. He had impressive performances in the Euros and has attracted interest from clubs like Arsenal, Juventus and many more across Europe.
Hull City finished 15th in the 22-23 season improving on the 19th place finish of the previous season. Greaves became an important figure in the team for his leadership. “Jacob has shown remarkable leadership qualities for someone so young,” said McCann. He leads by example with his work ethic and commitment on the pitch. His ability to organize the defense and communicate effectively has been crucial for us.”
In the 2023-24 season Greaves started 43 matches and contributed 2 goals and 4 assists. He completed 2905 passes, 101 long balls, 12 dribbles and created 23 chances. Defensively he won 53 tackles, 316 duels and 183 aerial duels. He also completed 44 interceptions and 189 recoveries.
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Both of Greaves’s goals came against Huddersfield. A Hull City corner is taken and the Huddersfield defense doesn’t clear it well. The ball is headed into the air and falls to Greaves who scored with a left footed shot into the bottom right corner giving Hull an early lead in the seventh minute.
Huddersfield switched to attacking play to get a goal back and both sides created a lot of chances. Hull defended their one goal lead for the 90 minutes of regular time but conceded in the second minute of extra time with Jack Rudoni scoring a good goal from outside the box. Greaves scored a header from an Abdülkadir Ömür cross in the last minute of the game, helping Hull secure the 3 points and creating a great memory for the Hull City fans to remember.
One of his assists came against Blackburn where he played a great long ball from defense for Aaron Conolly who displayed good skill and composure to get Hull their second goal in a 3-2 win. “Jacob’s assist was superb,” said Hull City forward Mallik Wilks. He put the ball exactly where it needed to be. It’s not often you see a defender making such a significant impact in the final third, but Jacob did it with ease.”
Greaves is a modern defender. He likes to get involved, take touches and distribute the ball. His long ball playing ability is good and he uses it to start fast breaks or to switch the direction of play. He reads the game well and is good at winning duels and tackles.
He is generally a very calm figure in the heart of defense and displays great leadership qualities. Greaves is good in the air which helps him clear crosses and also score a few on the other end of the pitch. His ability to play as a center back and left back make him versatile. All these qualities are highly desired in today’s game.
Ipswich Town gained promotion to the Premier League after finishing second in the Championship under Kieran McKenna. They’ve started signing players in the summer of 2024 to ensure that they’re ready for the new challenge at the top flight. Jacob Greaves is one of the players they’ve signed for around £18 million.
At only 23 years of age, Jacob Greaves will be young but one of the more experienced players in the squad. His maturity and leadership will be on display for Ipswich. He has been able to seamlessly move up the tiers from playing in League Two to now the Premier League. He’ll look to impress on the big stage and establish himself as one of the best defenders in the world.
By: @TSpec1al
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Timothy Rogers / Getty Images