Grant Hall apparently interesting Rotherham. He joined Middlesbrough on a free transfer back in the summer of 2020, following his departure from another Championship side, QPR.
OFB
Chris Wilder is said to want ‘at least three’ new strikers this summer, and his Middlesbrough side are said to have made enquiries for Blackburn striker Gallagher and Bristol City striker Semenyo.
OFB
Reports on Internet that Tav has said he wants to join one of the interested PL clubs
PaulInBoro
Anywhere in particular on the internet? Though I'd be surprised if he publicly said he wants to leave but the story does seem to be gaining momentum and I'm expecting one of the clubs to make an improved offer in the coming weeks.
It's been appearing in my twitter timelines & talkspport are reporting, I suppose you could argue these two sources have the same relationship to the truth as our now departing PM
There will be a new club in the Scottish Football League this season called Bonnyrigg Rose and thinking that the name sounds quite romantic for a football club I thought that I’d research some of the history of this club. They were actually founded in 1881 so only 5 years after Middlesbrough FC and a host of Teesside clubs such as Darlington, Redcar, Stockton and West Hartlepool. The town of Bonnyrigg is situated in Midlothian and the club competed in the East Senior Region League winning the title a record 4 times before being promoted to the East of Scotland Football League in 2019 where they won 22 and losing only one of their 24 league matches to gain successive promotions this time to the Lowland League where they finished 2nd and 3rd in consecutive seasons before becoming champions last season. They then beat the Highland League champions, the One Fraserburgh 3-2 on aggregate over two legs, and then overcame last season’s wooden spoonists Cowdenbeath 4-0 also over two legs.
I also like Bonnyrigg’s very smart colours of red and white horizontal striped shirts, white shorts and red socks. Bonnyrigg Rose are the 4th lower league club to gain promotion to the Scottish Second Division in recent years emulating Edinburgh City, Cove Rangers and Kelty Hearts at the exclusion of East Stirling, Berwick Rangers and Brechin City. However there is something that attracts me to Bonnyrigg Rose and I shall be watching their progress with interest.
Well Talk Sport seem to include in nearly every transfer snippet the phrase 'Talk Sport understands...' - the one about Tav that I saw said: "Marcus Tavernier is pushing for a Premier League move this summer, talkSPORT understands."
Of course they may have misunderstood on purpose as it doesn't sound like he's been 'pushing' from what I've read in the local media but I guess their house style is never about understatement. Indeed, the rumour mill in any of the media is let's say at best an exaggeration of the truth and headlines are mainly written as clickbait in a saturated market desperate for clicks. Even the Gazette (sorry Teesside Live) can now make a whole article from a sentence uttered by someone from the club.
As to the truthfulness of the UK's departed leader - well I couldn't possibly comment 😉 - though perhaps Rishi 'Super Richie' Sunak or the self-styled ghost of a third-rate Margret Thatcher impersonator, Liz 'Trust Me' Truss will likely fail to fill the personality gap left as they hope they will compete to raise the public's boredom threshold in a contest with the reigning fence-sitting champion Kier Starmer. Perhaps the role of Prime Minister should become like jury service given that I suspect any random individual grabbed from the street would prove just as able! Sorry, I think I may have strayed off topic briefly... What was that about Talksport again... Just give us the truth we're adults! (most of the time)
Werder,
Remember the old media maxim, never let the truth stand in the way of a good story.
UTB,
John
Viktor Gyökeres
From Coventry
Rumoured to be at Rockliffe talking to Boro
OFB
Hope they don’t pay over the odds for him or anyone else.
OFB
Viktor Gyökeres could be a decent option - he had a blistering start to last season scoring 9 goals in the first 11 games, which earned him a call-up to the Swedish international team. However, he then went 14 games without scoring before managing 8 goals in the last 22 games.
He's just 24 so a good age but Transfermarkt has him valued at €5m but they tend to be on the low side as they also value Marcus Tavernier as just €4.5m and Dael Fry as €6m.
Looks like Boro are getting impatient and probably need to sign a striker soon - especially if Watmore is carrying some kind of injury.
The Viktor Gyökeres link is an exciting one and I really hope it comes to fruition.
My view of him is based entirely from one season which is never comfortable but what I saw was a big, strong and deceptively quick and mobile "complete" striker who could score different types of goals. I would place him at least on par with every other striker in the Championship last season bar Mitrovic and Brereton Diaz and had semi ruled him as being beyond our budget but who knows.
Can I dream of him and Alun Armstrong joining? Suddenly the Boro line-up with that front two would look like automatic promotion contenders in my eyes.
Looking back at Werder's squad list, the group as it stands I can only see scoring around 55-60 goals over the season - perhaps 20 short of what's realistically required.
Signing Gyökeres would, in my view, get us most of the way there. I would expect him to get 20+ although he would take some game time away from Watmore and/or Coburn and likely bring their numbers down a touch overall. By the way, Werder mentioned that he dropped off towards the back end of the season scoring 8 from 22 games - that still equates to 17 goals over the season and would be an acceptable scoring rate for us.
Signing Gyökeres AND Armstrong would give us more than enough firepower in my view. Unlikely, I'm sure, but fingers crossed.
If true he should be a good addition to the side and provided we have not overpaid; wasn’t our earlier enquiry knocked back when an asking price of £20M was mentioned?
I still remain concerned that we have not filled the LCB position and have been playing Fry out of position. Square pegging still present and overdue in being addressed. 😎
Andy
It would be quite a novelty to sign two strikers who could actually score 20 goals each - would probably guarantee Boro a top four place at least!
Not sure how much Gyökeres would cost us as he's just one year into a three-year contract and not even sure Coventry would be willing to sell as he must be their main attacker. He's one of only three senior striker at the club last season with Matt Godden (12 goals from 25 appearances) and Martyn Waghorn (1 goal in 29 appearances).
Not seen any rumours of him leaving on any news sites so it's definitely under the radar if it has substance - it would be a big loss to Coventry one week before the season started so may be either a pricey option (possible release clause?) or maybe wishful thinking.
Andy
It would be quite a novelty to sign two strikers who could actually score 20 goals each - would probably guarantee Boro a top four place at least!
Not sure how much Gyökeres would cost us as he's just one year into a three-year contract and not even sure Coventry would be willing to sell as he must be their main attacker. He's one of only three senior striker at the club last season with Matt Godden (12 goals from 25 appearances) and Martyn Waghorn (1 goal in 29 appearances).
Not seen any rumours of him leaving on any news sites so it's definitely under the radar if it has substance - it would be a big loss to Coventry one week before the season started so may be either a pricey option (possible release clause?) or maybe wishful thinking.
Or just another unfounded rumour 🤔
Come on BORO.
I think it's unlikely. I expect the price would be too high. Armstrong on loan is slightly more likely I would say but dependent on Southampton bringing in probably two new forwards themselves having lost Broja and I'm sure we'd face strong competition for him.
On another note, the squad numbers have been published on mfc.co.uk and only 17 players - 3 of which are keepers - have been given a number. That really shows the lack of depth at the moment and clearly spells out the message for the likes of Coulson, Ikpeazu and Akpom, all of whom are omitted. Young Gibson is not listed either I notice.
Exmil
We shouldn't dismiss completely until it's announced on TalkSport...
Andy
Those squad numbers probably show that Boro need to sign at least 5 players - including a 9, 10 and 11. - so a left-sided central defender, a midfielder and three strikers. It's become a slow process but if we don't sign a striker soon there will be literally no pre-season left for them to hit the ground running - as Liz would say...
1. Zack Steffen
2. Isaiah Jones
3. Ryan Giles
6. Dael Fry
7. Marcus Tavernier
8. Riley McGree
15. Anfernee Dijksteel
16. Jonny Howson
17. Paddy McNair
18. Duncan Watmore
19. Josh Coburn
20. Caolan Boyd-Munce
23. Liam Roberts
25. Matt Crooks
26. Darragh Lenihan
27. Marc Bola
28. Luke Daniels
Chris Wilder is said to want ‘at least three’ new strikers this summer, and his Middlesbrough side are said to have made enquiries for Blackburn striker Gallagher and Bristol City striker Semenyo.
OFB
I would be happy with one who could find the back of the net consistently! 😎
You can catch the number 31 from just outside our office at Haymarket in Edinburgh to Bonnyrigg Ken !
I agree with Andy. I thought Gyokeres was great last season, at least when we played Coventry! He was actually number one on my hit list.
To get him and Armstrong would indeed be fantastic. I note that Southampton have agreed a fee for Bordeaux striker, Sékou Mara. The news instantly raised my hopes for an Armstrong move to Boro, but the Bordeaux lad is only 19 and scored only 6 goals last year. He’s hardly the main striker Hasenhuttel is probably looking for, so we might have to wait a little longer for the Armstrong signing. Big sighs.
Nice Piece in the Gazette
Quote “
Tooting and Mitcham youngster Raees Bangura-Williams played for Middlesbrough's under-23s on Wednesday evening as they drew 2-2 with Whitby Town. His trial period at the club comes hot on the heels of the incredible rise of Isaiah Jones, who also came to Boro from the London-based club.
Jones joined Boro in the summer of 2019 along with fellow Tooting star Sam Folarin after head of academy recruitment Martin Carter spotted the pair. In the case of Jones in particular, it's proven a huge success, with the wide man making an incredible breakthrough last term and becoming a star man under Chris Wilder.
And Boro appear to have kept a close eye on the non-league London club, who have quite the reputation for developing young talent in the capital missed by professional academies and readying them to go on and have a career in the game.
Bangura-Williams played at Whitby Town on Wednesday evening having made his breakthrough into the Tooting and Mitcham's first-team last season. The 17-year-old, second-year scholar, made nine appearances for Tooting last term, including six league appearances in the Isthmian South Central Division.
Describing himself as a 6ft1in 'left-footed, creative central midfielder or centre-back', Bangura Williams played in the centre of midfield alongside new summer recruit Kamil Conteh, who was picked up after leaving Watford at the end of last season. The Boro trialist even registered an assist as he laid the ball on for Afonso Lindo to level proceedings at 2-2 in the second half, completing a comeback from Mark Tinkler's side after they'd fallen two-nil behind inside half an hour.
Bangura-Williams will be hoping to earn a deal at Boro to follow in the footsteps of Jones and Sam Folarin, the latter of whom was also in action on the North Yorkshire coast, looking impressive after a frustrating injury-hit 18 months that have impacted his personal development.
In an interview with Teesside Live in 2019, then-joint Tooting manager Cornelius Nwadialor explained of Jones and Folarin joining Boro: "Martin [Carter] has been the link. Every single thing Martin told him [Jones] about what was going to happen, how he was going to be treated and how he'd develop - everything they've said is exactly what they've done.
"Once he'd been to Middlesbrough, he came back and said, 'I'm going to Boro, they've got everything I want'. For me, if you're trying to be a professional footballer, you've got a huge opportunity at Boro because it's set up perfectly to excel."
On Tooting and Mitcham's policy overall, he continued: "Whether players go on to play at a higher level, or continue at our level or go to uni, our programme is about developing adults. A lot of the players come from hardship.
"For us, we try to get the players thinking and acting like pros. If we get kids in the pro setting that's like winning the lottery, but our pathway is about education and doing something positive."
Current Tooting boss Ashley Bosah added: "If the opportunity comes for the players, you don't step in their way. That's our ethos. Obviously if Isaiah and Sam are in our team they help us climb the league, but if an opportunity comes that can change a young person's life, that's incredible."
Unquote “
OFB
Anyone have any insight on the 3 Premier League forwards we have offers in for?
Three that have been speculatively linked one way or another Armstrong, Forss and Muniz. Armstrong's the only one I've really seen.
Andy. That’s my interpretation based on the heavy press coverage/linkage to those three. 😎
Andy
Could well be those three but call me old-fashioned when I don't regard a player as a Premier League striker unless they've actually scored a goal in the Premier League. Out of those three only Armstrong has scored in the PL (twice) and Muniz hasn't even played in the PL. Troy Parrot from Spurs has now also been mentioned as a striker we're in for too - but again he's only 20 and has only made two appearances in the PL and didn't score in them - though scored 8 in 41 games on loan at Milton Keynes last season.
The reality is that PL strikers available on loan to the Championship are only available because their clubs don't think they're good enough for the PL. Indeed, Boro signed two PL strikers in January in Connolly and Balogun and we didn't really see their PL quality.
Having said that, Boro best hope of getting strikers in will probably be from PL clubs wanting to loan them out rather than trying to prise either Gyokeres from Coventry or Semenyo from Bristol City - both will certainly cost a decent amount as they won't be available on loan.
The other rumour now being cranked up is that Bournemouth are in advanced talks with Boro over the transfer of Marcus Tavernier with the Cherries apparently confident of securing his signature.
OK, all stories now reported by various sources lead back to a report by the Football Insider - though one of their main arguments was that it was probably Boro's last chance to cash in because Tav is out of contract next summer - though as far as I understood he's contracted until 2024.
As I said before about Tavernier, if the money is right let him go. Don't forget at the beginning of last season he was poor!
Yes Werder, a play on words in that the strikers are contracted to a EPL club.
Truth is unless you are taking a gamble and sign an unknown, such as the Coventry lad or in the past Pukki at Norwich,
You can take an alternative short term gamble with an EPL over the hill or roll of the dice such as Gayle or Connolly. Or you roll out the boat, and hope it does not sink with a relatively expensive buy. such as Semenyo. I would fancy him as he has strength and pace from the little admittedly I have seen of him.
Bamford apart we have not had much luck with strikers in the last number of years. Or maybe it's not luck but poor resourcing from the recruitment department as much as it is a difficult task.
Yes two years left Werder, Fry also, though he does not appear to be attracting any attention at the moment.
Forss appears to be the one popping up the most that I have seen on the net.