3 players who could be moving to Middlesbrough this month

If you were to assess Middlesbrough’s first half of the season you would have to say that they haven’t quite been in the immediate danger of relegation but 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.

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 1 goal per game on average.

That problem will hopefully be rectified by the arrival of Rudy Gestede. His signing from Aston Villa will reinforce Middlesbrough’s few attacking options but if Jordan Rhodes is to leave the club as expected then they may well have to look at bringing another forward to the club.

But it’s not just in attack where Aitor Karanka will look to update 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 Aitor Karanka still 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 dimunitive forward joined the club from Dutch giants Ajax in 2014 and started his Stoke career well only to have his debut season curtailed by serious injury. After a full recovery last season he managed to find the net on 7 occasions after making 27 Premier League appearances.

But the one time Spanish international is now believed to be looking from a move away from the Bet 365 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 9 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 but perhaps a new challenge and a chance to work under someone who will play more to his strengths will give Bojan 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 with a loan season at Everton from parent club at Barcelona. That campaign saw him make 25 appearances and score 3 times including a late equaliser against Arsenal at The Emirates in December 2013.

A deal to bring Deulofeu to the club permanently did not materialise until last season and it’s fair to say that perhaps his second spell has not been as impressive as his first. After being bought 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 Middlesbrough.

With Ronald Koeman looking to make new signings of his own this month especially in the wake of Everton’s F.A. Cup defeat to Leicester then the former Spanish youth international could be one of the players who makes way for any new arrivals on Merseyside.

Neven Subotic

Looking at the other end of the pitch there are still some relative concerns in regards to Middlesbrough defence and they may well make another bid for a player that they nearly signed in the Summer. That being the possible capture of Neven Subotic of Borussia Dortmund.

A move for the Serbian centre back was all set to be completed before the start of the season only for Subotic to subsequently 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 team with his minutes on the pitch only coming in the form of the clubs reserve side that currently play in the Germany’s fourth tier. Therefore the Middlesbrough manager Karanka will have to weigh up if this is a gamble worth taking or not

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. Therefore a move for Subotic may be one that looks beyond this transfer window as a ready made replacement for when Chambers goes back to North London.