Middlesbrough are reportedly interested in bolstering their squad in January by securing the services of young Liverpool forward Kaide Gordon.
The 19-year-old moved to Merseyside from Derby in 2021 for a substantial fee believed to be in the region of £3 million and is now attracting the attention of Michael Carrick and the Boro recruitment team.
Since then, Gordon has endured a difficult time with injuries but featured in Liverpool’s recent Europa Cup game against Union St Gilloise and has impressed with his displays since returning from set-backs.
According to TeamTalk, the forward could be allowed to leave the club on loan to continue his progression, with Birmingham and Ipswich also keen on the player Jurgen Klopp believes has outgrown the Under 21 set-up.
Klopp rates him highly
The former Derby forward has only managed four appearances this term, but Klopp rates the young starlet highly and will want to ensure his development is not stemmed due to a lack of opportunity of first team football at Liverpool.
Gordon seems to have found himself in the tricky corridor of being too good for the Under 21 team, but also struggling to wrestle a spot from in-form global stars like Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez. Jurgen Klopp said in an interview with The Express recently, “Kaide is always in our mind, because he’s just an exceptional talent. He’s here as long as he’s fit, he’s always in my mind and then we will see where that exactly leads.”
For Middlesbrough, capturing the Liverpool youngster could enhance their chances of chasing a play-off spot massively. Their overall game seems to be where it should be, and Michael Carrick’s attacking nature leads to a lot of goal scoring opportunities during games. Kaide Gordon could be someone who would flourish in the current set-up.
Boro light in striker department
Boro have just two number nine type strikers in their squad and one of them (Josh Coburn) is still returning from injury after a consecutive run of starts. Emannuel Latte Lath has carried the goal threat in Coburn’s absence but both have felt the effects of playing so many games in such a short space of time, and the Boro boss has made it clear on numerous occasions that 21-year-old Coburn needs to be managed carefully and appropriately.
Middlesbrough’s schedule will also play a big part in what they decide to do in the January market. They are still in the Carabao Cup-where they face Chelsea over two legs-and also have an FA Cup tie against Aston Villa on the horizon. It will see them play four games in twelve days during January.
On top of a current injury crisis, they will also lose players to the AFCON tournament and the Asia Cup that both take place in January, so the senior player count will have to monitored very closely. That said, Carrick has already suggested that he is happy to be able to give opportunities to some of Boro’s academy players who are knocking on the door of the first team.