A few players could still leave Middlesbrough before transfer deadline day on August 30th.
Michael Carrick spent the early part of the summer transfer window trimming down his squad in preparation for the 2024/25 Championship season.
Paddy McNair left Middlesbrough for the MLS after his contract expired at the end of last season but will spend the rest of 2024 on loan in the Championship with West Bromwich Albion.
Boro also saw two goalkeepers in Liam Roberts and Jamie Jones leave on free transfers, while Hayden Coulson joined Blackpool in a permanent deal.
After an impressive loan stint with St Miren in 2023/24, Zach Hemming could have been in line for regular football at the Riverside Stadium this term but he has now been sent out on loan to Leyton Orient.
2023 summer signing Sammy Silvera will also ply his trade away from Middlesbrough this season as he has joined Championship rival Portsmouth for the current campaign.
Silvera made his competitive debut for Portsmouth over the weekend and shone in a 3-3 draw with Leeds United.
Now, it appears another Middlesbrough player could depart the club before the close of the transfer window on August 30th.
Middlesbrough ace told to join Championship rival
The Teessiders are well-stocked in the attacking third at the start of the new season.
Micah Hamilton joined Middlesbrough from Manchester City in a permanent deal worth £3.5m and will offer quality depth all across the attacking midfield areas.
Elsewhere, Emmanuel Latte Lath remains the club’s main number nine and opened his account for the season on the opening weekend vs Swansea City.
Middlesbrough want to sign Tommy Conway from Bristol City as well, providing Carrick with another quality striker option.
While Conway would be a good signing for the North East outfit, it leaves the future of Josh Coburn up in the air.
Carrick hinted earlier this summer that Coburn will stay at Middlesbrough for the 2024/25 season.
However, the Boro academy product has now been told by talkSPORT pundit Phil Spencer that Millwall would be the ‘perfect fit’ for him:
He wrote: “Millwall would be the perfect fit for Josh Coburn.
“The Middlesbrough man needs first team football and I could see him really thriving in a more direct system such as that of Neil Harris at The Den.
“I think he’s got a lot more to offer than what Boro fans have seen.”
Should Middlesbrough let Josh Coburn leave
Coburn’s 2023/24 campaign was marred by injury issues but he still managed to score five in 21 Championship outings.
That is not a terrible record, especially when you consider that he did not complete 90 minutes too often, as he was playing second fiddle to Latte Lath.
If Middlesbrough’s squad were to stay the same for the remainder of the transfer window, Coburn staying at the Riverside would make sense.
However, the North East outfit appear keen to get a deal for Conway done and as a £5m figure has been touted, the 21-year-old will simply have to feature on a regular basis for the club if he signs.
Given Carrick only plays with one striker in his 4-2-3-1 system, this means that at the very best, Coburn would become the third-choice centre-forward option.
Coburn is still fairly young and has potential to improve, so a move to a side like Millwall where he should play on a more regular basis would make sense.