Ipswich Town glance shows Kieffer Moore could have been Middlesbrough solution: View | OneFootball

Middlesbrough’s play-off hopes are all but over, despite claiming a decent 1-1 draw away to Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon.

Michael Carrick’s men have found form in recent weeks, which has catapulted them into top-six contention.

However, their form throughout the 2023/24 season hasn’t been consistent enough for them to challenge, as was expected at the beginning of this campaign.

So, with another season in the Championship expected, Carrick will be reflecting on this season and looking at where they went wrong and where they could improve.

The January transfer window was a chance for Middlesbrough to strengthen their side, and while they did that with the signings of Luke Ayling and Finn Azez, it could have been even better for the club.

Boro were heavily linked with a move for AFC Bournemouth striker Kieffer Moore, but they weren’t the only side interested, and him joining Ipswich Town has shown what he could have brought to Middlesbrough.

Middlesbrough were among the sides interested in Kieffer Moore in January

Kieffer Moore joined Bournemouth in 2022 from Cardiff City, but it was a move that so far hasn’t gone according to the plan the player would have hoped for.

The forward struggled for regular game time, so when January arrived this year, it seemed likely that he would depart the Premier League side, even if it was on a temporary basis.

There were a host of sides chasing the Welsh international, with it being reported that Cardiff City were the side that was pushing the hardest.

But teams such as Birmingham City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Sunderland, West Brom, and Middlesbrough were also given credit.

It seemed the Bluebirds had the edge over the other sides, as the player was keen on moving back to Wales, but in the end, it didn’t work out like that.

In fact, it was Ipswich who won the race and secured Moore’s signature, and that seems to be a move that has turned out very well for the player and the club.

Moore joining Ipswich shows Middlesbrough and Carrick that he could have been a solution to an area they have struggled in.

Kieffer Moore has shown at Ipswich that he could have been a solution for Middlesbrough

As mentioned, there were several teams looking to sign Kieffer Moore in January, each of which had different aims to achieve before the end of the season.

Obviously, Ipswich, fighting at the top end of the table, swung them into pole position to sign the forward, and given how well he has done for them, Kieran McKenna and co. will be very pleased he decided to join them.

Moore has scored six goals in 15 Championship appearances for the Tractor Boys, with him not starting only two of those games.

The Welshman is averaging a goal every 173 minutes of football, with 0.4 coming per game, as per Sofascore.com.

Moore could have had even more goals from his 15 games, as the forward has averaged 2.6 shots per game and has already missed eight big chances for the Tractor Boys.

However, the 31-year-old has a decent goal conversion rate of 15% and has created two big chances for his teammates. Moore is operating at a decent level, with an average Sofascore rating of 7.27.

This will be excellent reading for Ipswich and McKenna, but it won’t be good for Middlesbrough and Carrick, as it’s what could have been for the latter.

Moore has really hit the ground running at Portman Road, and he has done plenty to show that he could have easily been a solution for Boro, who were in need of more firepower in January to boost their play-off chances.

Middlesbrough lost Chuba Akpom in the summer, so it was key they found a decent replacement.

Emmanuel Latte Lath was brought in as his replacement, and while the 25-year-old has scored 12 goals in 27 league appearances, it has taken him a while to get going in the division.

But other forwards at the club have struggled throughout the season, so January was a time that the club could have strengthened that area.

Moore was the obvious choice, but a deal didn’t work out, and the forward has shown in his time with Ipswich that he would have been the perfect addition for Carrick’s side.