55.4% pass success rate: The 23-year-old interesting Middlesbrough and Millwall | OneFootball

Accrington Stanley defender Ross Sykes looks set to be a man in demand from the Championship in the summer transfer window.

Journalist Alan Nixon has previously suggested that Middlesbrough are interested in signing the 23-year-old, and according to the reporter’s latest update, ‘Boro’s second-tier rivals Millwall are now also interested in Sykes.

As things stand, Sykes’ contract with Accrington expires this summer, but the League One side do have the option to extend that deal, meaning these clubs would have to pay a fee to secure the services of the centre back.

So is that something that the likes of Middlesbrough and Millwall should be doing to try and secures Sykes’ services in the summer window?

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Here, we’ve taken a look at the stats behind Sykes’ performances for Accrington this season, according to WhoScored, in order to find out.

To begin with, having started 34 of Accrington’s 42 league games this season, Sykes is certainly an important figure for John Coleman’s side, and the stats do seem to back that up.

With 4.3 clearances and 2.4 interceptions per games, the 23-year-old is clearly crucial when it comes to keeping opposition attacks at bay, at the fact he is able to make these kind of interventions shows his ability to read the game well.

Indeed, with Sykes also averaging 1.6 tackles per game in the league this season, the centre back is obviously willing to put himself into the thick of the action for his team, and is not afraid of getting involved.

Arguably, there may be a suggestion that he does that a bit too much, with the centre back having picked up 12 yellows cards and two red cards over the course of the campaign, which could cause an issue in terms of suspensions, and giving away set pieces in dangerous areas.

Even so, as well as those defensive contributions, it seems Sykes can make an impact when going forward to attack as well.

The defender has scored three goals and provided four assists in the league this season, a useful contribution for someone operating in his position.

That is perhaps not surprising, given Sykes has averaged 1.8 shots per game in the league this season, showing the desire he has to get himself on the scoresheet, and keeping opposition ‘keepers busy and defences under pressure through efforts such as this is surely a good thing.

However, a pass success rate of 55.4% is rather low, and may be another issue, given his central defensive role means that could see him concede possession in some rather dangerous areas.

Never the less, while there are areas that may need to be worked on, there are certainly signs that Sykes could make a positive impression for a new club, meaning it could be worth the likes of Middlesbrough and Millwall taking a chance on him in the summer.