This summer has seen so much talk around the need for Middlesbrough to go out and get a recognised Centre Forward. Michael Carrick arrived last October and after utilising the versatility of Matt Crooks up front, he was afforded the services of a very talented young forward in Cameron Archer in January, which duly bolstered the forward line with some extra quality.
Archer delivered, weighing in with eleven goals and six assists in twenty games. Nobody can dispute just how good a player he is, hence the difficulty the club have faced with getting him back.
However, with Head Coach, Carrick also having a player like Chuba Akpom in the ten role attacking from deep, whose searing form saw him hit 29 goals last season, it is a fair question to ask, ‘Is a statement Centre Forward signing really necessary?’
The Middlesbrough boss generally fields an extremely attack-minded side for each game and loves his team to create chances and score goals. That is exactly what they did last season. Yes, Aaron Ramsey and Cameron Archer were a part of that. However, the responsibility to score goals was very much shared across the squad. Players like Marcus Forss, Riley McGree, and Matt Crooks (combined total of 23 goals last season) contributed heavily, and they have been joined by bright, attacking midfielders, Sam Silvera, Alex Gilbert and Morgan Rogers. So you could assume that the Boro side will still continue to create chances.
Life after Akpom
Obviously, there are a couple of mitigating factors that may be influencing the Boro recruitment and management team’s decision of whether to invest in a striker. One of those factors, will be the question of whether Chuba Akpom can replicate-or indeed come close to replicating-the season he had last season? His prolificacy was incredible and it would be a huge ask for him to score as many again. The other glaringly obvious question is, can the club hold on to him? If Middlesbrough decide not to invest and they are then made an offer they can’t refuse late in the day for Akpom, then it represents a huge risk. They would have to make do with the current crop of strikers until the January window and you feel that in the eyes of the fans, claims that they should have signed a striker would be irrefutable.
Only Burnley (87) scored more goals than Middlesbrough last season, who managed 84 in 46 league games. The next highest after that was Sheffield United who scored 73, so scoring was clearly not an issue. The club have made some effort to address the issue of conceding too many goals at the back. Signing a highly touted young Centre-Back in Dutch player Rav van den Berg as well as adding Seny Dieng (Goalkeeper) from QPR. They are also likely to look to strengthen in the full-back areas with Ryan Giles returning to Wolves and Tommy Smith getting injured.
The current candidates
Much will depend on how the player selected to play up front at the start of the season performs. Fans have been taking to social media forums to give their own opinion on who that might be. Going on recent appearances only, it appears new arrival Morgan Rogers will be given the opportunity to stake a claim. His movement and enthusiasm has caught the eye, but he is definitely still learning the role and the responsibility of being the club’s main striker will surely not be bestowed on him so early in his promising career.
The other candidates include Matthew Hoppe, yet to get his Boro career off the ground, Matt Crooks, a makeshift forward and a player returning from a loan spell in Josh Coburn who appears to be desperate to make an impression after his spell with Bristol Rovers. Again, shouldering that kind of responsibility so early, Coburn would need support this early in his fledgling career. The only other alternative to those is Marcus Forss, who-before last season-was more of a number nine type than them all, but currently plays on the right. Forss has not featured as a striker in any of the friendlies so far and so it seems he is not considered to be the answer through the middle.
It would be naive to think that Boro are not working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring in more quality at the top of the pitch, but if they can not improve upon the individuals already at the club, maybe the ever-composed Carrick will refuse to panic and show his trust in his current crop.