5 players that must be on Middlesbrough FC's transfer radar ft Kasey McAteer | OneFootball

Another busy summer is expected at the Riverside Stadium, with Middlesbrough looking to end their Premier League exile next season.

Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick - supported by a recently overhauled recruitment team - has seen significant progress being made in the second half of the season.

His side have ended the 2023/24 Championship season stronger than most, as his team appears to have found a winning formula to take into next year.

He'll also be thrilled with the progress some of his new recruits have made - Emmanuel Latte Lath, Rav van den Berg and Finn Azaz, to name a few, all have the appearance of very shrewd signings.

But his team isn't the finished article, having missed out on the play-off positions, and as such there is room for improvement in certain areas ahead of the new campaign.

Here, FLW takes a look at five potential additions that Middlesbrough could make this summer to ensure they're fighting for a return to the top flight in 2024/25.

Matisse Samoise

Gent

Michael Carrick has made it abundantly clear the kind of full-backs he wants, and that's attacking-minded. Ryan Giles, Lukas Engel, Alex Bangura and, surprisingly, Luke Ayling, have all been more impactful closer to opposition boxes than their own.

And in Belgium youth international Matisse Samoise, there haven't been many more consistently creative than him in the Belgian top flight over the past couple of seasons.

The 22-year-old has already racked up an impressive number of senior appearances at a young age, with over 150 games for Gent in all competitions - including over 30 appearances across the Europa Conference League, Europa League and Champions League competitions respectively.

But the versatile wideman - who can operate as a traditional winger, or in a full-back/wing-back role on the right - revealed in an interview with Eleven Insiders via VoetbalPrimeur earlier this season, that he holds ambitions to play abroad.

Samoise said: "I certainly have the ambition to try my luck abroad one day. But I also feel very connected to Ghent and am willing to stay here for a long time. Although I see myself as a club player, that does not mean that I have no ambitions."

Samoise is under contract at the Belgian side until mid-2025, but Gent may well look to cash in on their ambitious young star this summer.

Tom Cannon

Leicester City

After making a reported £7.5m switch to the King Power Stadium from Everton last summer, Tom Cannon has not been able to make the impact he'd have hoped for in the Championship title-winning Foxes side this season.

Heading into the final weekend, the Republic of Ireland youth international has made just 13 league appearances for Leicester, with two goals and an assist to his name, per FotMob.

The 21-year-old did enjoy a fruitful loan spell with Preston last season, however, in which he bagged eight goals and an assist in 20 Championship appearances - and also meant Boro took an interest in him last summer.

Emmanuel Latte Lath's end of season form has cemented his position as Middlesbrough's number nine going forward, but a loan move for Cannon in the summer would surely be an attractive prospect for both sides.

Boro would be getting what Cameron Archer was to Chuba Akpom, in that they have a reliable source of goals to complement their main man, whilst Leicester would benefit from sending their youngster to a place where he can get some valuable game time under his belt.

Perry Ng

Cardiff City

Whilst the aforementioned Samoise can play as full-back, Cardiff City's Perry Ng is one by trade - and a very underrated one at that.

The 28-year-old has shone in a position of arguably Middlesbrough's greatest need this summer, as right-back's Luke Ayling and Paddy McNair, respectively, are both out of contract at the end of the season.

Whilst Anfernee Dijksteel and veteran Tommy Smith both only have one-year remaining on their respective contracts, with the former expected to be sold in the summer and the latter missing the majority of the season with an Achilles injury.

Therefore, bringing Ng to Teesside would be a very shrewd addition, as his six Championship goals and four assists in 39 appearances - per FotMob - suggest he would be an ideal fit in Carrick's system.

Bluebirds manager Erol Bulut has already confirmed that there is transfer interest in Cardiff's player of the season ahead of the summer window.

Sorba Thomas

Huddersfield Town

From one underrated Championship star to another. Huddersfield Town's Sorba Thomas may well be soon part of a relegation squad, but his individual efforts this season will have surely promoted himself enough to earn a move back to the second tier this summer.

With one game to play in the Championship season, the Welsh international's 123 chances created and 13.3 expected assists both lead the league per FotMob.

One of Middlesbrough's largest areas of weakness this season has been creativity and production from wide areas, so pairing the 24-year-old winger with Latte Lath could be a recipe for goals, and lots of them.

And as the Terriers seemingly prepare for life back in League One next season, Thomas will surely be looking for an exit route out of West Yorkshire, and a potential move to the North East would surely be one he would entertain.

Kasey McAteer

Leicester City

As every Championship fan will know, Leicester City certainly haven't been short of attacking options this season.

One such player who's found it challenging to hold down a starting sport in Enzo Maresca's talent-laden squad, however, is Kasey McAteer.

The 22-year-old Englishman has had to be patient in his search for minutes on the pitch, but when they've came, he's been largely impressive.

Six goals in 22 Championship appearances tells the tale of a young attacker who has the tools to be a highly effective player in the second tier, and it should be safe to assume that the former Wimbledon man will want to be playing regular football next season.

It appears unlikely that will be the case in the top flight, and so a loan move to Carrick's Middlesbrough side should be a move that suits both parties, as the Foxes could have a significantly more polished prospect on their hands this time next season.