I don’t see Kamara coming now that a mega rich Saudi side have entered the race.
Come on BORO.
Mark Travers has joined Boro on a season long loan.
Come on BORO.
@pedro I hope that add-on clause in the Rogers sale contract was well drafted.
@chris-from-barlby I think tonight was Rogers first Champions League goals, so I am hoping that it was one of the add ons and I hope we have a decent sell on clause as I think he will go for big money.
Come on BORO.
@chris-from-barlby Here is more on Morgan Rogers career:
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cgk1x42g6vpo
What a player. And he was still with us in January 2024. Up the Boro!
With Boro not playing until Monday it's felt like something of an international break as we wait for the next game - so many thanks to OFB for his well-judged preview that is essentially three articles in one with the postmortem on the Preston debacle, the excellent transfer window summary plus looking ahead to Sunderland and good intel on the opposition.
Still there's plenty of uncertainty around the window with only a few days left and much may depend on whether Boro can start their own MAGA movement and Make Atlanta Go Away - though it appears many of the stories in the media have cooled on that possibility.
Glad to see we've got a decent keeper in finally as Glover was not convincing for me - especially with the ball at his feet - which seems to be a prerequisite for a Carrick keeper. However, the defence if anything has got weaker with loss of Clarke and Giles is not exactly renowned for his defending either. Not sure if Boro will get a serious defender in though and most likely cover at best with Ayling or Howson also an option in central defence for the rest of the season.
Moving on Barlaser makes sense but also not sure we'll bring in a replacement unless Howson's return is looking further away than planned - though Law McCabe must surely be staying and maybe getting some more pitch time.
Boro have a big squad and it needed some trimming but Carrick still has a lot of attacking options at his disposal but given his reluctance to make earlier substitutions then many will not get much action.
Interestingly, I initially thought Burgzorg would be most at risk from the arrival of Whittaker but he looks one of our most lively performers in recent games - if Carrick was going on current performance then Azaz is the one to miss out - having said that much depends on ELL's injury or indeed if he stay as we wait for Conway's ever lengthening absence to end.
Forss looked short of match fitness when he tried to play centre-forward and lacked a physical presence or focal point.
Anyway, whoever plays Boro will need to do much better than last weekend if they are to get anything from the game - especially the defence if they are to avoid further Benny Hill montages. I watched the video OFB mentioned and the music was definitely not out of place - Incidentally, the music is called Yakety Sax and was released in 1963 and written by the gloriously-named Spider Rich and Boots Randolph!
News from the Gazette, is that Atlanta have made an improved offer which has been accepted.
LL undergoing a medical at Rockcliffe.
Boro have accepted an improved offer from Atlanta for Latte Lath (undisclosed), Lath has undergone his medical in the UK and the injury sustained against PNE is not enough to deter Atlanta from paying an MLS record fee for the striker. Watch out for incomings.
Come on BORO.
SSN are reporting that Lath has gone for £18m with £4m add Ons a MLS record fee.
Come on BORO.
Gazette saying 22M which is your 18M + 4M I guess
Always be wary when the media goes quiet on a story - looks like Boro's MAGA movement appears to have failed.
It's a lot of money for a player who can often go through lean spells and is probably a decent return but it still going to be a blow to our promotion hopes unless whoever replaces him hits the ground running.
I presume Boro have somebody lined up to sanction the deal now - presumably Strelec
@werdermouth The Gazette have said, MFC have more irons in the fire, than just Sterlec.
Well whoever comes in, will need to hit the ground running as werder said. If it is the Slovakian lad, at 6-8 million euros as quoted by his club, then it is a gamble to say the least. Most foreign striker transfers have a higher failure rate.
Different Country and language, maybe a family to move.
For me, any money spent, would be better on a CB with experience (25-ish) and pace and a RB who can defend and has pace. Along with Travers, we would surely concede less goals and with Whittaker score sufficient to win games
Of course we have not being scoring many goals of late, but still letting them in.
We now need Carrick to get the best of the squad and no excuses please.
What chance of Chuba Akpom coming back on loan with option to buy if we get promotion; reports are suggesting Ajax are willing to let him go? 😉😎
@k-p-in-spain I also notice The Dirties are trying to get Archer from Soton.... Why don't we try.
Now that would be something, getting g the band back together ..Giles, Archer, Apkom !!
@k-p-in-spain. The Internet has Sunderland heavily linked with a loan and option to buy if promoted.
Still, you should never say never.
Sounds like we won’t be seeing him back:
https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/2025/lille-close-to-securing-sunderland-target-chuba-akpom/ ☹️😎
People saying whoever the new striker that comes in will have to hit the ground running, to live up to Lath, whereas I look at the point he picked up a groin injury and could have been missing for at least 2/3 weeks maybe even longer, so if we get a new striker it will be a bonus.
Come on BORO.
It looks like if we have any fit striker at all it will be a bonus!
Boro have surely got a plan if they're selling Latte Lath given the club are just about hanging on to a top six place and relying on scoring more than they currently are letting in the other end.
With all the possible comings and goings happening, January has turned into something of an unexpected mini rebuild where quite a few new signings are going to have little time to get up to speed in learning the Carrick system if Boro are to keep up with the playoff pack.
A grim grey and wet day in West Norfolk and I can feel the black dog just out of sight stalking around somewhere close, a feeling probably brought on by a lengthy visit to see a friend in Palliative Care where the irrepressible calmness, care, humour and charm of the nurses is amazing when you consider those they care for and the environment they are working in.
Boro, in turn, seem to be in flux. Millwall continue to to carry on their 'Supermarket Sweep' of Boro players and LL's agent seems well on course to be a millionaire.
I know this is the so-called sustainable model, buy cheap and sell high but I do wonder just how sustainable. This is going to prove to be a very interesting last half to the season in many ways. I hope that the recruitment team have checked on the injury history of their targets. I feel that we could offer odds on when the first mystery injury strikes a new, key addition. Probably in the next 'International Injury Break'.
No doubt this applies to all of us but beating Sunderland would really cheer me up and we'll have to wait until Monday for that!
UTB,
John
John
Remember its times like this that it’s great to be alive ,! Perhaps not well or in the best of health as we’re all getting old but I always adopt the maxim “live every day”
This is a much better time for the club than the days of liquidation when the football league tried to put us out of business !
OFB
@john-richardson It’s grey here in Ryedale too, but my own particular black dog is snoring loudly on Mrs B’s knee.
Spring isn’t far away - I’m sure there’ll be some emergent life in your garden - put your JR on a lead and head out for a walk or revisit some of your magnificent art works - maybe losing yourself in a new print will send that black dog back into its kennel.
Keep well and UTB.
Why is everyone so pessimistic because we are selling Lath, what if we kept him and he went through another barren spell, everyone would be whinging “why didn’t we sell him for £22.5m when we had the chance”. Who knows what the rest of the season holds, let’s just go along for the ride and see what May brings. We have a very tough February list of fixtures, Sunderland (H) Shef Utd (A) Watford (H) Bristol City (A) Stoke (A) then 1 March is time for the Exmil Challenge unless everyone has given up hope by then 😱.
Come on BORO.
@exmil I’m certainly not pessimistic about ELL leaving. It’s good business as far as I’m concerned - tbh I was more worried that some saw Akpom potential coming back as the solution.
Surely the club must have someone lined up to replace him - we’ve all thought he was going to leave so I’m convinced we’ll see an announcement shortly.
@exmil. I am not pessimistic, as Martin has said it’s good business and is in line with the new operating model.
I posted about Chuba coming back more in jest than anything as I am not a great fan of players returning; I am not convinced that the return of RG will solve the issues we have on his position.
It remains to be seen, however, if the new player trading model adversely impacts upon the team’s ability to achieve promotion. 😎
@exmil not really sure who is being pessimistic in here. Lots of different ideas and thoughts and sometimes flippant or wishful, fanciful comments, but I think most people do seem to be quite phelegmatic about the state of affairs. To quote a favourite son of this parish, "It is what it is", and (I might add), it will be what it will be.
None of the forgoing stops me hoping the runes will fall well for us.
As I have said on the Transfer/Rumours thread, I have been a little busy lately so have not posted on here for a few days. But I have read @OFB's wonderful starter piece and a few of the early replies to it. I thought I should thank Bob for a very enjoyable and informative read. Then, later, I can come back to this thread and read the various later replies.
I guess the betting companies will have Sunderland as favourites to win the game on Monday evening. I might hope it will be otherwise when the referee blows his whistle but I can see at this stage Sunderland still retains a CHANCE of automatic promotion whereas Boro does not.
Just watched MC’s press conference and when asked about LL being sold to Atlanta he did not confirm that the deal was done or that he had undergone a medical.
He talked about LL as a MFC player and assessing and managing his injury! Not sure what to make of it and if he was just being guarded until such time as the ink is dry on the contract. 🤔😎
@k-p-in-spain I did see a post on Social Media that suggested that ELL had not yet agreed personal terms, although I did take it with a large pinch of salt.
Maybe there’s something in it after all and he’s going to stay. Or possibly he’s holding out for another offer from a different club, in which case it seems unlikely that we’d have time to sign a replacement.
As FD has pointed out, we’ll never know what’s really going on in the background.