Why Chelsea may have agreed 'low fee' for Leo Castledine to join Middlesbrough - Huddersfield Town reaction issued | OneFootball

FLW's Huddersfield Town fan pundit believes that Chelsea could have demanded a greater transfer fee from Middlesbrough for Leo Castledine.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Huddersfield Town must negotiate the remainder of their League One play-off bid without the services of former loan star Leo Castledine, who was recalled by Chelsea and sold to Middlesbrough on Friday.

Castledine was a major asset for the Terriers this term, notching 12 goals and three assists in 27 appearances across all competitions, and is now tasked with helping Boro win automatic promotion from the Championship to the Premier League.

Middlesbrough were beaten 2-1 in the FA Cup third round by top-flight outfit Fulham on Saturday, and are vying to bounce back to winning ways when they face West Brom in the second tier this Friday.

Kim Hellberg's men sit second in the Championship table, two points clear of third-place Ipswich Town, albeit the Tractor Boys have a game in hand on the North East outfit.

Chelsea could have demanded more from Middlesbrough for ex-Huddersfield Town loan star Leo Castledine

Castledine produced an assist in his last game for Huddersfield, helping them to a 2-2 draw with Exeter City on 4 January.

As reported by The Sun, amid previous interest from Watford in the attacking midfielder, Chelsea had an asking price of around £1m for the 20-year-old.

Football League World asked our Terriers fan pundit, Graeme Rayner, if he thinks Castledine will do well in the Championship, and if the transfer fee was a bargain in his eyes.

Graeme said: "I do think it's a low fee for Leo Castledine based on his potential resale value. He's a young English player, and £1m seems relatively low.

"I'm assuming there's probably all kinds of add-ons and sell-on fees in there. Chelsea would have presumably insisted on those for such a low fee.

"It is a low fee. I know that Huddersfield have alluded to the fact that they were in talks with Chelsea both in the summer and this window about trying to make the move permanent, or having the option to.

"It sounds like neither player nor Chelsea thought that was the right idea, so fair enough. Will he do well in the Championship? It's really hard to say.

"He's effectively had a couple of months in League One. That was November, December. He's got bags of ability, or bags of potential, and I think he's got a lot of character.

"The challenge he will have is just finding space, finding time in the way that maybe he was able to in League One, in the Championship, at a higher level against better defenders.

"There's no reason why he can't. I've seen some people suggesting that he's a future England player. Some Huddersfield Town fans are saying good luck to him, looking forward to seeing him play for England and things like that.

"I don't think that'll happen. I don't think his ceiling is that high, but I do think top end of the Championship, bottom end of the Premier League is somewhere that he could have an impact.

"What he'll need is time to adjust and minutes on the pitch. Whether he'll get that, in a team at the top end of the Championship, who are seeking to be in and around promotion, whether they'll see they have the luxury of allowing that time, I don't know.

"It might be that he gets 10 or 15 minutes from the bench. Will he be able to have an impact there? It's a gamble for him, but probably one that he'll do well at. Good luck to him."

Leo Castledine can succeed in the Championship for Middlesbrough

There is a notable gulf in class between League One and the Championship, as alluded to by Graeme, so Castledine could take some time to adjust to the second tier.

However, Castledine's eye for goal in the third tier suggests that he is ready to up his game and help Boro in their quest to seal a long-awaited Premier League return.

As a Chelsea youth academy graduate, the former Shrewsbury Town loanee enjoyed a rich football education, while Middlesbrough have high-class players who can help get the best out of the 20-year-old.