Might not yet be a done deal as per Sky sports:
Burnley battling for Whittaker
Latest from Sky Sports News' Mark McAdam, Anthony Joseph and Keith Downie:
Burnley are weighing up the possibility of matching Middlesbrough's bid for Morgan Whittaker, Sky Sports News understands.
Plymouth rejected an offer from Burnley for the striker two weeks ago.
As reported earlier this morning, Middlesbrough have agreed a deal worth up to £8m with Plymouth.
It is understood that this proposal included a significant sell-on clause for Plymouth as well.
If Burnley match Middlesbrough's offer, and it is accepted, it could leave the decision up to the player. 😎
It's also been reported than Finn Azaz has been instrumental in persuading Whittaker to come to Boro - since they used to play together at Plymouth.
It may well be that Burnley could easily match Boro's offer and with parachute payments offer better personal terms - though if Boro have allowed a significant (whatever that means) sell-on clause in the deal that may not be something Burnley would want to do but in theory they could offer more up front.
The other issue for a striker looking to progress their career is would Burnley's less expansive style of football make Whittaker believe he'll attract attention if he has limited scoring opportunities - you have to go all the way down to Preston in 16th place to find the next team that have scored fewer goals in the table.
Let's see how this deal pans out and if Burnley prove to be a better chance of PL football or offer a better contract.
We should probably view Whittaker as a long-term Doak replacement. He’s 24 and can only get better over the next couple of years.
I reckon that Steve Gibson has decided that he is able to finance the extra Whittaker purchase against the Jones fee and still stay within the limits. What a man.
UTB
Maybe - While he's been played as a right-winger I'm sure he won't be coming to Boro this season to sit on the bench behind Doak so I'd expect him to play on the left given he's left-footed - though after seeing right-footed Doak curl in that beauty with his left foot on Tuesday then maybe they'll be switching wings!
The Echo reporting Whittaker is having a medical on Teesside now. Perhaps alongside Edmundson.
Life is good. Let's see what happens with Latte Lath next. Up the Boro!
Well if the deal is already that advanced then it should go through soon - especially after he's seen Boro's top-rated training facilities, which I'm sure is like another planet compared to Plymouth's or even Burnley's!
Lukas Engel expected to leave Boro to join FC Cincinnati after the arrival of Ryan Giles. Expectation is that it will be an initial loan with an option to be made permanent. (Dom Shaw - The Northern Echo)
There’s considerable Championship interest in Matt Clarke.
Derby County are leading the race for the defender. (Football League World)
Apparently Arsenal are looking for a striker and in my wildest dreams I can't help wondering if they won't arrive with a bid for LL. I know, a slightly bizarre thought, but he fits the profile their manager was detailing on Sky Sports. Funnier things have happened.
Well it keeps the rumour machine at jammed throttle setting.
UTB,
John
We should probably view Whittaker as a long-term Doak replacement. He’s 24 and can only get better over the next couple of years.
I reckon that Steve Gibson has decided that he is able to finance the extra Whittaker purchase against the Jones fee and still stay within the limits. What a man.
UTB
Maybe - While he's been played as a right-winger I'm sure he won't be coming to Boro this season to sit on the bench behind Doak so I'd expect him to play on the left given he's left-footed - though after seeing right-footed Doak curl in that beauty with his left foot on Tuesday then maybe they'll be switching wings!
I agree that this year he might play in a three with Azaz and Doak but he would be the long term replacement for Doak at the end of this season.
A different perspective on the Morgan Whittaker situation pre transfer:
Morgan Whittaker wants to thank Plymouth fans for their support - and insists he has NEVER pulled out of a match.
Whittaker has completed a £6m move to Middlesbrough but will always remain grateful to Plymouth supporters for their backing during his two years at Home Park. The 24-year-old striker also wants to set the record straight after Plymouth boss Miron Muslic accused the striker of not turning up for Wednesday night’s 5-0 defeat to Burnley.
But Whittaker, who has scored 24 goals in 72 games for Plymouth, says he was fully committed to the club, gave everything for the fans and always made himself available for selection. Whittaker was the match-winning hero of Plymouth’s win at Brentford earlier this month and he has always enjoyed the support the fans have given him.
Whittaker spoke on Tuesday morning ahead of the Burnley game. Muslic made it clear that he was not in his plans for the game and was not up for selection anyway. Muslic then worked on shape ahead of the Burnley game but Whittaker was not involved in that session and was told to train with the other players who had also not been selected for the squad.
That decision was taken because the club had made it clear they were ready to sell Whittaker this month amid interest from Middlesbrough and other clubs, including Burnley. Whittaker attended the Burnley game - and was seen on Sky cameras - and even happily trained on Thursday with the rest of the squad.
There was strong interest in Whittaker last summer but he stayed put and the club had said they would start negotiations over a new contract in September. That did not materialise and Plymouth again were open to offers in this window and said they would only start talks about a new deal in February if he ended up staying.
Whittaker wants to leave on good terms with the Plymouth fans and make it absolutely clear that he always gave everything for the club and never refused to play or train.
Now that Dieng has had an operation on his achilles this week, he could be out for nearly whole season. We do not much now, as the press has not asked Carrick about it yet.
As Brynn in away with a dislocated shoulder for up th three months, we definately need a goalkeeper or even two.
Has someone any idea how many spots we have left as we can only register 25 senior players to the Championship squad? The difficulty is that do we register Bangura or Leninhan, for example?
Engel is in Connecticut at the moment and it looks like Boro can free one space in there.
Some sources say Boro are after a shock move for Slovan Bratislava striker David Strelec. The 23-year-old striker could be completed quickly if there's a willingness to make it happen. Boro is said to be making a £5m move for Slovan Bratislava centre-forward David Strelec.
I do not know if this a deal for the future or relying on the situation with Latte Lath.
Up the Boro!
I think Morgan Whittaker is an upgrade on Isaiah Jones.
Whittaker scored 20 goals last season, playing his way into the EFL's official Championship Team of the Season. The 10 other players selected for the side were from teams who finished in the top seven. Plymouth finished 21st, avoiding relegation by a single point.
Crysencio Summerville, named on the opposite flank to Whittaker in the Team of the Season, cost West Ham United in excess of £25m in the summer, when he left LeedsUnited. Boro paid £5m plus £2.5m in add-ons for Whittaker.
Whittaker has been on Boro's radar since Kieran Scott joined the club as Head of Football. Indeed, Scott is understood to have first watched the forward when he was part of the recruitment team at Norwich City.
Boro have kept close tabs on him since, with Chris Jones, head of recruitment, understood to have watched Whittaker in person on numerous occasions over the course of the last two years.
I think this deal shows again, how the recruitment works at Boro. Not just looking videos in an office, but following a target for years and move when the timing is right. Also the price seems OK compared to the West Ham buy. Whittaker is established already on this level and he is correct age at 24 (b. 7 January 2001).
The transfer window has been great so far. But there is still question marks over Latte Lath. I hope we can keep him until the summer, when we know where we will play next season.
Up the Boro!
Barlaser wanted by Derby
Barlaser, 28, knows the Rams’ boss Paul Warne well from their time at Rotherham United together. He has made 22 appearances in all competitions during the first-half of this season, 19 of which have come in the league, and he has chipped in with one goal and one assist.
In this latest update regarding his situation by Witcoop on X, Boro are ‘prepared’ to let him leave this month amid interest from Pride Park and from an unnamed team in League One. He is under contract at the Riverside Stadium until the summer of 2026 meaning he has over a year left still.
OFB
@original-fat-bob yesterday is interesting news. I for one would not be sorry to see him go, especially if we can get a few extra pennies for him. All more the reason not to be letting Gilbert out on loan.
MFC have confirmed that Matt Clarke has made a permanent move to Derby County, he was out of contract at the end of the season. Wish him all the best. 😎
@original-fat-bob If Barlaser goes, we could bring in an upgrade in Glen Kamara, the Finnish International. On loan from his current club Rennes, as Teesside Live is suggesting now.
Matt Clarke's departure to Derby confirmed now.
Up the Boro!
I see that ManU coach Amorim and Marcus Rashford are not on speaking terms. Maybe we should offer to take him on loan for the rest of the season...
@powmillnaemore. We will probably need to have a whip round to help towards his wages. 😉😎
Bournemouth and Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Mark Travers is heading to Middlesbrough for his medical ahead of a loan move to the Championship club. (Pete O’Rourke - Football Insider)
OFB
A local Finnish newpaper is claiming that Glen Kamara is heading to Saudi Arabia now. Boro has been credited with an interest in the Finnish International player by Teesside Live.
Renowned football journalist Fabrizio Romano claims that Finnish men's national football player Glen Kamara is moving to Saudi Arabia.
The 29-year-old midfielder is currently playing for French club Rennes. According to Romano, Rennes is in talks with Saudi Arabian league side Al Shabab.
Rennes are third from bottom in the French league. Kamara joined the club last summer from English Championship side Leeds.
As recently as last autumn, Kamara was a regular in Rennes' starting lineup, but since then the situation has changed radically. Kamara last played in the French league in mid-December.
Kamara has watched the last six matches from the sidelines.
Let's see if Barlaser would be leaving, only then I can see Boro to go for Kamara. And even then Rennes need to pay nearly half of his salary. So I think Rennes will prefer a cash deal to a Saudi club.
I think Kamara would prefer a move back to England, where he has lived since the age of nine. Up the Boro!
So we got the International goalkeeper on loan from Bournemouth, Mark Travers .
A nice article about him on the Echo. Worth reading.
Up the Boro!
ELL is on his way:
https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/emmanuel-latte-lath-fee-agreed-30901046
Atlanta close to signing Latte Lath
Latest from Sky Sports News' Anthony Joseph and Keith Downie:
Atlanta United's deal for Middlesbrough striker Emmanuel Latte Lath is close to completion.
An £18m deal has been agreed plus £4m in add-ons - an MLS record - and the striker has already completed his medical. 😎
@k-p-in-spain Seems like a strange move to me. Whilst our chances of promotion may be fairly slim, if he’d continued to score goals until the end of the season, I’m sure he could have engineered a move to the EPL for next season.
@martin-bellamy. I agree. I could understand it if he was near the end of his career and I had, in fact, convinced myself that he didn’t want to go there given how long it has taken for the deal to be finalised.
It just proves how wrong you can be trying to read between the lines.
I wish him well and just hope that we do not live to regret his sale and that the new operating model does not hinder promotion. 😎
To loan Dijksteel to Millwall would be a ridiculous decision - Craig Johns suggests Boro are open to his exit but he's our only defender with pace and Luke Ayling is looking slow and injury prone. I imagine Boro will be signing a right-back if this story is true but I've been a fan of Dijksteel who has been decent in both defence and attack since he got back into the team. He's out of contract in June so I would understand if he was sold but a loan move makes no sense!
Apparently, he's on a very high salary
I think Millwall have us down as mugs.
Selling us Saville for £6m, then getting him back for a fraction of that.
Picking up Watmore, a proven Championship striker and still currently their best forward, for £1m,
Then Coburn on loan and probably signing for next to nothing.
And AJ Matthews for nothing.
Why wouldn't they try for Djksteel on loan then sign him for free at the end of the season?
He has been one of our successes this season, so of course we will probably let him go.
Must be massive if we can't afford the last 4 months of his contract 🤔