If you were to assess Middlesbrough’s first half of the season you would have to say that they haven’t looked quite as in danger of relegation as expected, but that they have not looked all that comfortable either. Aitor Karanka’s side have failed to put any real distance between themselves and the bottom three and are still looking nervously over their shoulder, but they’ve not been pulled down to the extent Crystal Palace have and have never really been in the lower reaches.
The principle reason for their current league placing is the fact that they have seriously struggled in front of goal. They have the unwanted record of being the joint lowest league scorers and are registering less than one goal-per-game on average.
That problem will hopefully be rectified by the arrival of Rudy Gestede. His signing from Aston Villa will reinforce Boro’s threadbare attack, but if Jordan Rhodes is to leave the club, as expected, they may well have to look at bringing another forward in.
However, it’s not just in attack where Aitor Karanka will look to upgrade his personnel, so let’s now look at THREE players who could be moving to Teesside this January…
Bojan
Middlesbrough may have made one new addition to their forward line but Karanka still surely feels he is short in that respect and is keeping a keen eye on one of his compatriots who is already at a Premier League club. That man is none other than Bojan of Stoke City.
The diminutive forward joined the club from Dutch giants Ajax in 2014 and started his Potters career well only to have his debut season curtailed by injury. After a full recovery last season, he managed to find the net on seven occasions after making 27 Premier League appearances.
But the one-time Spanish international is now believed to be looking for a move away from the bet365 Stadium as he has struggled to hold down a first-team place this season – of the 20 Premier League games that Stoke have played the 26-year-old has only featured in nine of them.
Aitor Karanka has already gone on record to say he is a big admirer of the talent that Bojan possesses, talent that he hasn’t quite shown this season, and perhaps a new challenge and a chance to work under someone who will play more to his strengths will give him the fresh impetus that he needs.
Gerard Deulofeu
If a move for Bojan does not materialise then another possible option is once again a Spaniard who is currently at a Premier League club. In this instance, it is Everton’s Gerard Deulofeu, who is attracting the eye of the former Real Madrid assistant manager Aitor Karanka.
Deulofeu first arrived on Merseyside back in the 2013/14 season on loan at Everton from parent club Barcelona. That campaign saw him make 25 appearances and score three times, including a late equaliser against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in December 2013.
A deal to bring Deulofeu to the club permanently did not materialise until last season, though, and it’s fair to say that his second spell has not been as impressive as his first. After being brought to the club by Roberto Martinez, he has failed to make a first-team place his own under Ronald Koeman and it’s for that reason he is attracting the attention of Boro.
With Ronald Koeman looking to make new signings of his own this month, especially in the wake of Everton’s FA Cup defeat to Leicester, the former Spanish youth international could be one of the players who makes way.
Neven Subotic
Looking at the other end of the pitch, there are still some concerns in regards to Middlesbrough’s defence and they may well make another bid for a player that they nearly signed in the summer: Neven Subotic.
A move for the Dortmund centre-back was all set to be completed before the start of the season only for the Serbian to fail a medical. With Subotic staying at the German club for rehabilitation after an operation on a rib injury, the 27-year-old is now fit and getting game time – although he is still nowhere near the Dortmund first XI, with his minutes on the pitch only coming in the form of the club’s reserve side that currently play in the Germany’s fourth tier. Therefore Karanka will have to weigh up if this is a gamble worth taking or not
That said you also have to keep in mind that Calum Chambers is only on loan for the duration of this season with the likelihood he will return to Arsenal in May. So, a move for Subotic may be one that looks beyond this transfer window.
