Middlesbrough are all but resigned to another season in the Championship and transfer targets should now be drawn up behind the scenes.
Michael Carrick‘s side couldn’t recover from their poor start to the season despite avoiding defeat in their last nine games, winning five of them.
Their late play-off push came to an end on Saturday, as they were held to a score draw at automatic promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town, which is certainly not a poor result in isolation.
But with sixth-placed Norwich City winning, it has become almost impossible for them to surmount the gap with just three games remaining.
With that said, Carrick should be plotting a promotion push next season and to do that, he and his chiefs should sign this ‘excellent’ 21-year-old.
Middlesbrough should sign Jay Stansfield to partner Emmanuel Latte Lath
Last season, the relationship Cameron Archer and Chuba Akpom formed was deadly and it fired Boro into the playoffs.
They should try and emulate that dynamic this summer by signing Jay Stansfield to partner Emmanuel Latte Lath.
Stansfield is currently enjoying a productive loan spell at Birmingham City, where he has netted 13 goals in all competitions.
The England under-21 international is set to return to Fulham this summer, who could be willing to sanction another temporary deal, or even a permanent one for the right fee.
Middlesbrough should seriously consider launching a proposal for Stansfield, who can operate anywhere across the forward line, evincing his tremendous versatility – an increasingly popular trait in the modern game.
Middlesbrough need another winger
Middlesbrough will have to be busy in the summer transfer window if they are to realise their aspirations of promotion.
They certainly need a winger, in addition to a Stansfield-like forward, as they haven’t adequately replaced Morgan Rogers, who departed for Aston Villa in January.
The Teessiders have four players currently on loan, Luke Thomas, Lewis O’Brien, Sam Greenwood and Luke Ayling, so they’ll need to replace them all if they aren’t of course signed to permanent contracts.
Steve Gibson and his recruitment staff must back Carrick in the window and they can’t afford to lose any of their key players as they have in the previous two windows.