Capitalising on Nottingham Forest stance can help Middlesbrough solve problem in January: View | OneFootball

Middlesbrough picked up where they left off against Chelsea to secure three points away at Millwall.

Isaiah Jones assisted the only goal of the game against the Premier League side and he then found himself on the score sheet at The Den.

Alongside their impressive cup exploits, Middlesbrough are in the hunt for a play-off spot despite the awful start they endured to this season.

Injuries have been prevalent for Boro and the cup clash with Chelsea proved no different, as two players were withdrawn in the first half.

Strengthening the backline this month will help Michael Carrick achieve his goals and capturing the loan signing of Nottingham Forest man, Andrew Omobamidele, would be a great piece of business.

Forest have made a name for themselves in the last few years as a club that boast a deep squad.

Nuno Espirito Santo has recently taken over from Steve Cooper at The City Ground, and he has a lot of players to keep happy. Omobamidele is one who has seen very little action for Forest - just two League Cup appearances, in fact.

Journalist Tom Collomosse has reported that Omobamidele was one of three players who could well exit the club this month.

He went on to write that "Nuno clear from day one that he likes to work with smaller squads" and the other two players in question are Andrey Santos and Nuno Tavares.

The Irishman joined from Norwich City in the summer and his only league minutes of the season came for the Canaries, prior to his high-profile transfer.

Speaking to The Irish Mirror, Omobamidele made his feelings on the situation crystal clear: “I don't think patience is a good trait in football to have, personally. I feel like you always need to want to play, you should be thinking of yourself about being better or playing in this position or whatever it is.”

The Forest man is evidently keen to play and is also surplus to requirements in Nottingham at the moment, so a loan move back to the Championship makes plenty of sense for all parties.

Middlesbrough in need of reinforcements

Middlesbrough seems like a reasonable landing spot for Omobamidele, with Michael Carrick scratching his head over the amount of injuries his team has sustained.

Both Emmanuel Latte Lath and Alex Bangura were forced off in the 1-0 win against Chelsea within the first 20 minutes, only adding further to the issues that the former Manchester United man has to contend with.

Bangura, a Sierra Leone international, was one of a few defensive reinforcements brought in over the summer, but with the treatment room getting busier and busier, Boro will surely be utilising the January window.

Finn Azaz was recalled from his loan at Plymouth Argyle so that Aston Villa could sell him to Middlesbrough, and he was in the stands at the Riverside due to being cup-tied, before then debutting away at Millwall.

It is clear that there is money to be spent, £2.5 million going towards capturing the Irishman, and so covering some of the wages of Azaz’s compatriot is perfectly plausible.

When it comes to Omobamidele's place in the squad, both Darragh Lenighan and Tommy Smith are out for the rest of the season with injuries to their achilles, showing the importance of a signing of this nature.

Omobamidele was superb at this level when playing for Norwich and was fully deserving of the Premier League switch when Forest came calling.

It can’t have been easy for the 21-year-old, who is used to regular football, to be watching on from the sidelines more often than not at Forest.