Ben Doak and Isaiah Jones might potentially be lost by Middlesbrough during the January transfer window.
Jones allegedly had a medical with the Hatters on January 9 after the two teams reached an agreement worth up to £5 million for the 25-year-old, suggesting that Boro had approved Jones’ transfer to Luton Town.
This month, the Premier League has shown increasing interest in Doak, their loan star from Liverpool, as the Reds are reportedly holding out for £30 million for the Scotland international.
As a result, it looks like Middlesbrough could lose two of their starting options from their right wing. Michael Carrick’s team would suffer a serious setback as they attempt to continue their Premier League promotion campaign in the second half of the season.
It might, however, provide the Boro manager a chance to select a wildcard player from the depths of his roster. A player who has repeatedly shown his abilities at the Championship level despite having a tenure on Teesside marred by injuries.
Marcus Forss could be like a new signing for Michael Carrick and Middlesbrough
Marcus Forss, who arrived at the Riverside Stadium after demonstrating his ability to score goals at Championship level during his time with Brentford, signed a four-year contract worth an estimated £3.24 million.
At the age of 23, Forss made 42 Championship games in 2020–21, scoring eight goals and dishing out one assist, helping Brentford advance to the Premier League.
After being given a few Premier League opportunities the following season, Forss was permitted to leave the team in the January 2022 transfer window and sign a loan deal with Championship team Hull City through the conclusion of the current campaign.
However, he would find it difficult to establish himself with the Tigers, and when he returned to Brentford in the summer of 2022, the Bees thought it was time for the Finn to look for new opportunities.
His destination was Teesside, where he would join Chris Wilder’s team before what many Boro supporters thought would be an exciting season. at his first season at the North East, he would become accustomed to playing a rotational position, making 24 of his 38 league games from the starting lineup.
He proved to be a wise acquisition to the team during the 2022–2023 season, scoring 10 goals and dishing out five assists across all competitions. Many anticipated that he would improve on his stellar first season the following year, but nobody anticipated that injuries would become a defining characteristic of his tenure with the team.
After suffering a hamstring problem in March 2024, the Finland international would be sidelined for seven months. The 25-year-old would return in October, but niggling ailments continued to set him back on his road to a full recovery.
This has capped Forss’ involvement to just four appearances in the first half of the 2024/25 season, but Carrick has confirmed that the versatile forward will be involved in Middlesbrough’s FA Cup Third Round tie with Blackburn Rovers on 11 January.
Forss not only could cover Jones and Doak exits, but he could step into centre-forward role should Emmanuel Latte Lath depart
Forss’ comeback coincides with a potentially pivotal point in Middlesbrough’s campaign, as Carrick may be about to lose Doak and Jones, his first and second choice right-wingers, respectively, this month.
Micah Hamilton, Boro’s only other senior and obvious choice to cover that possible gap on the right flank, is a 21-year-old summer recruit from Manchester City who appears to be a raw and undeveloped talent who might be better off going out on loan this month.
Forss might potentially offer crucial insurance at a variety of positions because, before joining Middlesbrough, he had played the great majority of his career as a center-forward.
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