Middlesbrough moved on several players during the 2024 summer transfer window.
Boro strengthened heavily in the most recent transfer window with nine new first-team players arriving through the door.
The influx of new talent meant Michael Carrick had some big decisions to make when it came to letting his current Middlesbrough stars leave the club.
Paddy McNair and Liam Roberts departed on free transfers at the end of 2023/24, with goalkeeper Jamies Jones also released later in the summer.
Hayden Coulson was Boro’s only permanent sale during the window, joining League One outfit Blackpool after spending the previous campaign on loan with The Tangerines.
Elsewhere, four senior Middlesbrough stars left on season-long loans.
Zach Hemming has come in for criticism since he joined Leyton Orient as their new number one.
Sammy Silvera has become a regular feature for Portsmouth, Sonny Finch was injured in his first outing for Milton Keynes Dons and Josh Coburn has moved to Millwall.
Neil Harris wanted a permanent Josh Coburn transfer
Coburn had an instant impact at Millwall, scoring one and assisting one on his debut during a 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday on August 31st.
The East London outfit spent much of the summer searching for a new number nine before eventually agreeing a deal with Boro.
And now, Millwall boss Neil Harris has revealed that his team tried to secure a permanent transfer for Coburn but Boro refused to agree to those terms, as per the Northern Echo.
He said: “We worked extremely hard over the summer with Boro to find the right agreement. It’s been well-publicised that we tried to sign Josh on a permanent deal.
“We worked extremely hard on that and Jimmy (Berylson, chairman) was extremely supportive on that. It didn’t materialise and we understand Boro’s situation with that.
“Josh has come here on loan – it was a situation that suited all parties in the short term.”
Should Middlesbrough have sold Josh Coburn
The £4.5m signing of Tommy Conway from Bristol City this summer meant there was little room in the squad for Coburn this season.
The 21-year-old would have been the third-choice number nine and after Boro’s early exit from the Carabao Cup, his game time was set to be very limited until at least January when Middlesbrough enter the FA Cup.
In turn, a move away from Teesside this summer did make sense but Boro’s decision not to agree a permanent sale was wise.
Coburn scored five in 21 Championship matches last season despite injury issues and has already shown on his Millwall debut that he is a very competent striker at this level.
The Englishman remains under contract until 2027 and a loan move allows Carrick one more season to decide his long-term future.
The Boro boss dubbed the forward ‘terrific’ at the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign, as per Teesside Live, suggesting he remains a fan of the player.
Plus, should Coburn keep up his current form for Millwall across the entire 2024/25 campaign, it will likely increase his market value if Middlesbrough do look to move him on permanently next year.