Michael Carrick has been given some advice on how he can unlock Emmanuel Latte Lath’s full potential at Middlesbrough.
Middlesbrough have not had the best of luck in the centre-forward department over the years.
Boro legend Fabrizio Ravanelli scored 31 times in the 1996/97 campaign but following that prolific year, the club had to wait a long time to find another quality striker.
Mark Viduka and Yakubu both managed 19 goals a season in the early 2000s as Middlesbrough picked up their first trophy and reached their only European final.
However, it was not until 2022/23 that a striker was able to score 20+ goals a season at the Riverside Stadium.
Chuba Akpom managed 29 in all competitions as Boro finished fourth in the Championship but he was sold to Ajax that summer.
The man who replaced the former Arsenal starlet in the North East was Emmanuel Latte Lath, who joined from Serie A side Atalanta BC.
Michael Carrick told how to unlock Emmanuel Latte Lath
Latte Lath scored 18 goals in all competitions in 2023/24 for Middlesbrough as they reached the League Cup semi-final and finished eighth in the Championship.
The Ivorian had a particularly fruitful end to the season, netting 11 in his final 12 matches.
However, he did struggle during his first few months in England, scoring just five in 18 league games.
Now though, Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman has told Michael Carrick what he must do to unlock Latte Lath, urging Boro to start well and create chances for their star striker.
He said: “But the one factor which jumps off the page is how well Emmanuel Latte Lath finished the season, scoring 11 goals in his final 12 games.
“He’s clearly found confidence, form and his place within the team. He looked like a completely different player from the one that was missing chances at the start of the season.
“But at least he was still getting into the positions previously. If Boro can start well and create chances for him to score at such a rate, then you would say it will be a more positive season.”
Middlesbrough need backup for Latte Lath
If Carrick takes Goodman’s advice and is able to unlock Latte Lath’s full potential, he should score more than 20 goals in 2024/25.
While this will likely boost Boro’s promotion chances in the coming campaign, question marks still remain over the club’s striker depth.
Josh Coburn is the current backup to Latte Lath but his displays in 2023/24 suggest he is not good enough to fill in for the 25-year-old if he is injured or needs a rest.
New signing Delano Burgzorg can play as a centre-forward, but he will likely be used out wide due to Middlesbrough’s lack of depth on the left wing.
As a result, Middlesbrough may need to dip into the transfer market once more and sign some competition for Latte Lath.