"Masterstroke" - Rotherham United praised for transfer involving Northampton Town and Middlesbrough | OneFootball

FLW's Rotherham United fan pundit believes Matt Crooks is the best transfer deal the club have completed.

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…

For Football League sides, getting transfer deals right is not only important for results on the pitch, but they also play a vital role in the clubs' finances.

Rotherham United are a club who have utilised the transfer market effectively over the years, and have moved on several players to boost their revenue.

Viktor Johansson, Ben Wiles and Dan Barlaser are all players who have yielded the Millers transfer profit over the last few seasons, but there is one deal that trumps the lot.

Matt Crooks deal hailed as Rotherham United's best transfer deal

When asked by FLW what was the biggest transfer masterstroke the club had ever made, FLW's Rotherham United fan pundit, Tom Eyre, claimed it was Matt Crooks.

"Matt Crooks went to Rotherham for £200,000 and then was sold to Middlesbrough for £2m with a 10% sell-on clause, which we ended up getting another, I believe, £200-250,000 from him, so I believe that that was the biggest masterstroke," Tom told Football League World.

"He played with us for about two and a half seasons, performed admirably, was versatile, played in several positions and became a fan favourite.

"He really had the Millers DNA and helped us get promoted and then almost helped us stay up with his contributions, so he was a fantastic servant to the club and big fan favourite, and we made a lot of profit on him."

Crooks has proved he is Championship quality

There is no doubt that Crooks made a lasting impact at the New York Stadium.

After signing from Northampton Town, the midfielder went on to make just under 100 appearances for the Millers, scoring 21 goals and assisting seven times during his two and a half years at the club.

Crooks' crowning moment for Rotherham was achieving promotion to the Championship in 2020 and, although he could not keep them in the division, he left his mark with some influential performances.

Unsurprisingly, the central-midfielder was snapped up by Middlesbrough, who had contrasting ambitions to reach the Premier League.

While Crooks was unable to guide the club back to the top flight, he built on his reputation by notching 115 appearances, scoring 23 and assisting 15.

As the midfielder approached his thirties, he took up a new challenge in the United States, but Crooks returned to the second tier with Hull City after completing a deal in January.

Since his return, the Tigers have climbed out of the relegation zone and Crooks has been a significant part of that rise, with his leadership a key ingredient in Ruben Selles' master plan.

While it is frustrating watching your best players leave, credit must go to Rotherham for completing some smart business over the years, with the Crooks deal standing out.