“He would be a perfect fit” – Middlesbrough fan pundit reacts to transfer links with West Brom midfielder | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk‘ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

One of the more surprising transfer rumours of the summer has emerged this week, with West Bromwich Albion midfielder Alex Mowatt linked with a loan move to the Baggies’ Championship rivals Middlesbrough.

In a report from the Daily Mail which has been backed up by local journalists, Boro are pursuing a temporary deal for the 27-year-old, who only arrived at Albion last summer from Barnsley, following then-manager Valerien Ismael from Oakwell.

Mowatt featured regularly under Steve Bruce when he replaced Ismael in February at The Hawthorns, but he has started neither of West Brom’s first two league matches of the current campaign, with a midfield trio of Jake Livermore, Jayson Molumby and John Swift favoured.

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Whilst he may be out of favour at a fellow Championship club, FLW’s Boro fan pundit Dana Malt is of the belief that Mowatt would be a fantastic acquisition for the Teessiders, although isn’t convinced that West Brom will want to strike a deal with a potential promotion rival.

“Alex Mowatt was a player that I really wanted Boro to sign when he was in the process of leaving Barnsley,” Dana said.

“I was a bit gutted in the end when he signed for West Brom because Boro were genuinely interested in him and reports of that interest have since been corroborated by the local paper recently – I would still be all for Boro signing Mowatt.

“I know that West Brom fans have been somewhat underwhelmed by his performances in an Albion shirt, but for Middlesbrough I think he would be a perfect fit, either as a left-sided eight or as a number six in the Jonny Howson position.

“He would be a fantastic addition to this Middlesbrough squad – he’s a forward-thinker, a progressive passer, he’s a leader, a midfield general and I think he brings a lot of well-rounded attributes to the table.

“So, whether or not West Brom will let him go to a promotion rival, that remains to be seen – personally, I think it would be rather silly for them to do that, but I would be all-in on Boro signing Mowatt.”

The Verdict

Mowatt’s quality was there for all to see at Barnsley two seasons ago, but it just didn’t go right for him at West Brom last season despite some early promising signs.

In fairness though, there weren’t many Baggies players who shone last season, so Mowatt wasn’t alone, and a change of scenery could do him good.

Middlesbrough are in desperate need of another left-footed, creative midfielder following the departure of Marcus Tavernier to Bournemouth, and on paper, Mowatt would fit the bill entirely.

If you are the West Brom hierarchy though, it would be pretty foolish to loan Mowatt out to a divisional rival, so it may be best trying to offload him permanently instead.