Middlesbrough: Isaiah Jones transfer revelation increases importance of Liverpool, Ben Doak saga | OneFootball

Boro have reportedly accepted £5m bids from West Brom and Luton for Isaiah Jones, and that will increase the importance of the Ben Doak saga...

Middlesbrough are understood to have accepted bids from fellow Championship sides West Bromwich Albion and Luton Town for Isaiah Jones.

Sky Sports are reporting that Boro have granted permission to the Baggies and the Hatters to speak with Jones over a potential transfer, with the Teessiders accepting bids worth up to £5m with an initial £3m payment from the two clubs.

A switch to Kenilworth Road is understood to be the most likely outcome, with reports suggesting that the 25-year-old is set to have a medical with the Hatters today and that personal terms will not be a problem.

Despite signing a new contract extension in April 2024 that would ensure he'd be contracted at the Riverside until 2027, Football League World exclusively revealed in December that the former Tooting & Mitcham winger was looking to leave the North East club in the winter window.

Should he get his move this month, Jones' departure will only serve to ramp up the importance of the outcome regarding Middlesbrough's Liverpool loan star Ben Doak, however.

Having been plucked from non-league football in 2019, Jones has proven to be an excellent piece of scouting work by Middlesbrough.

The Guyana international made his Boro debut back in an FA Cup tie away at Brentford in January 2021, having previously spent the second half of the 2019/20 season on loan with Scottish side St. Johnstone.

After a successful loan spell in Scotland once again with Queen of the South in the 2020/21 season, Jones made his Middlesbrough league debut on the opening day of the 2021/22 campaign away at Fulham.

From that day forward, Jones has been a regular in the Boro starting XI, having been deployed as both a right-wing back and as a traditional right-winger.

It is, however, from his wing-back role that he perhaps played his best football in a red and white shirt at the start of his Middlesbrough career, and was even linked with a big-money move to the Premier League with the likes of Manchester United reportedly tracking him in 2022.

No such transfer to the top flight ever materialised though, and despite notching nine goals and five assists in 41 appearances last season, Jones hasn't been able to register a single goal or assist in his first 23 appearances of the current campaign.

He's largely been relegated to a backup role due to the superb performances of Doak, as the Scottish international has emerged as one of the best players in the Championship through the first half of the season.

Losing Isaiah Jones and Ben Doak would leave Michael Carrick down to the bare bones on the right flank

Therefore, commissioning a permanent exit for Jones this month would appear to make sense for all parties involved, but perhaps only one condition.

That is that Liverpool don't pull Doak out of his loan spell with Middlesbrough and cash in on his performances on Teesside. Premier League duo Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town are reported to have lodged £15m and £16m bids for the 19-year-old, whilst Brentford and Fulham are keeping tabs on developments too.

It's understood that Liverpool have slapped a £30m asking price on their teenage sensation, and should no offer match that, then they would have no problem honouring the original terms of the Boro's season-long loan agreement.

However, should both Jones and Doak leave Middlesbrough this month, that would leave Boro boss Michael Carrick down to the bare bones at his right-wing position.

Finnish international Marcus Forss would be the most experienced and proven option to come into the starting XI, but the 25-year-old has only managed to make a handful of appearances so far this season as he once again struggles to remain injury-free.

Alternatively, summer signing Micah Hamilton would be Carrick's only other right-sided option, but the 21-year-old looks a raw and unrefined talent, and is a player that Middlesbrough would perhaps prefer to send out on loan for the remainder of the season.

Aside from those two, any one of Riley McGree, Delano Burgzorg or Alex Gilbert would have to fill in, but Carrick's best option in this scenario could be to head into the market to source a more proven and natural right-winger.

Losing Doak would be a catastrophic blow to Middlesbrough this month, but combining that with a Jones exit, and Boro could potentially be on the receiving end of a knockout blow when it comes to their promotion hopes.