Middlesbrough encouraged to seal Chelsea transfer | OneFootball

FLW's Middlesbrough fan pundit has given his verdict on the club's interest in Ishe Samuels-Smith

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…

Middlesbrough are one of the clubs linked with a loan move for Chelsea youngster Ishe Samuels-Smith this summer.

According to Football London, the Teesside outfit are keen on the 19-year-old left-back following the arrival of Rob Edwards as manager.

However, they face competition from Sunderland, Stoke City and Rangers, with Chelsea looking to find somewhere for the player to get some senior first team experience.

He has yet to feature for the Blues, but has a long-term contract until 2031, so they will be keen to see the defender develop over the next 12 months.

Middlesbrough encouraged to pursue Chelsea starlet

When asked about the left-flank under Edwards, and Samuels-Smith lack of experience, FLW’s Middlesbrough fan pundit Phil Auton claimed he has no qualms around his lack of senior game time in his career, claiming everyone has to start somewhere.

He also believes added depth at wing-back could be needed if the team will be playing a 3-5-2 formation under the new manager, particularly with Alex Bangura’s injury record.

“He could well lack that experience but it was the same when we had the likes of Iling-Junior last year on that side, everybody’s got to get that experience somewhere,” Auton told Football League World.

“If Edwards is to go and play 3-5-2, I was listening to some of the local journalists last night and basically they were saying on Alfie Doughty that he’s very much in the thoughts but we’ve got more priorities before that.

“So I think there’s ongoing dialogue, but we’ve got about three or four positions that Edwards sees as a priority before he goes there with Doughty, and Doughty’s just signed a new deal with Luton.

“Neto Borges could do it, but I would prefer to see him more as a left-centre-back, particularly if we’re playing with a three.

“He played there last year and he became a bit of a cult hero actually, where I didn’t think he was great prior to his move to centre-back.

“Bangura is a bit more what you would class as an attacking wing-back, up and down, it’s just his injury record is terrible, he was out all last year with injuries, so there’s massive question marks over him.

“If we sign a wing-back, as opposed to a full-back, the indications would be that we’re going with a 3-5-2, so we’d need more than one wing-back because we’d need one on the other side.

“Because we don’t really have it in the squad at the moment.”

Middlesbrough will get their Championship season underway on 9 August with a home clash against Swansea City.

Samuels-Smith signing could be a solid addition for Middlesbrough

Samuels-Smith lacks experience, but plenty of young players have proven themselves at Championship level over the years that this won’t be a major concern.

The 19-year-old is highly rated at Chelsea, and bringing him in on loan could be a smart way to add some depth to Edwards’ squad.

He is a versatile defender, and can play in multiple positions that will suit Middlesbrough under the new manager.

If they can win the race to his signature then this could prove a very shrewd piece of business for next season.