Middlesbrough may be looking at Derby County with relief: View | OneFootball

It has been an excellent few weeks for Middlesbrough in the Championship.

Boro were beaten by Coventry City in the play-off semi-finals last season, and after losing a host of key players in the summer, they made a slow start to the campaign, failing to win any of their first seven games.

Michael Carrick's side have improved significantly since then, and while inconsistency has plagued them at times this season, they have been in outstanding form in recent weeks.

Boro extended their unbeaten run to nine games as they held promotion-chasing Ipswich Town to a 1-1 draw at Portman Road on Saturday.

The visitors went ahead in the 20th minute when in-form Emmanuel Latte Lath headed in Luke Ayling's cross, but the Tractor Boys equalised just 10 minutes later through Massimo Luongo.

Ipswich came close to taking the lead when Jeremy Sarmiento hit the post, but it was Boro who had the best chances to win the game, with Isaiah Jones and Matt Clarke both forcing superb saves from Vaclav Hladky late on.

Despite picking up an impressive point in Suffolk, Boro's play-off hopes are all but over as they sit eight points behind sixth-placed Norwich City with just three games remaining.

Boro's strong recent form has been largely down to the goals of Latte Lath, but after failing to bring in a striker during the January transfer window while the Ivorian was out injured, there was speculation that the club could look to the free agent market.

Dwight Gayle was one name that was linked with Boro following his release by Stoke City, but head of football Kieran Scott said a deal for the 34-year-old would have been "difficult".

"Before I came on this call, I was on a call with Chris Jones (Boro's head of scouting) and we were discussing free agents. We absolutely look at that market, it is a good market," Scott told the Twe12thman podcast in February, quoted via The Northern Echo.

"We'll see where we get to on that, but we always like to have a plan on every eventuality. But we'll sit with Michael and the guys tomorrow and say we've identified XXX and we have that ongoing discussion like we always do."

Gayle eventually made the move to League One side Derby County, and given how he has fared at Pride Park, Boro may be relieved they did not pursue a deal.

Middlesbrough made the correct Dwight Gayle decision

Gayle made an excellent start to life at Derby after his arrival in February, scoring three goals in his first six games for the club.

However, Gayle has missed the Rams' last five matches with a hamstring injury, and manager Paul Warne revealed that he may not be fit until the end of the month, meaning he could play no further part this season.

Gayle's absence will be incredibly frustrating for Derby as they look to secure automatic promotion, but it was always going to be a risk signing a 34-year-old who had not played regular football over the previous few years.

Given Gayle's high wages, Boro will no doubt be glad they did not make a move for the striker, and the club should be commended for keeping faith with the existing squad.

In truth, it has seemed unlikely for some time that Boro would make the play-offs this season, so resisting the temptation to dip into the free agent market and allowing the likes of Latte Lath to play regularly and adapt to the Championship was a shrewd move.

Latte Lath found it tough after his £5.6 million move from Atalanta this summer, and he has struggled with injury at times this season, but since returning to fitness in February, he has scored seven goals in 11 appearances, taking his tally to 14 for the campaign.

The 25-year-old's new-found confidence was underlined by his latest goal against Ipswich on Saturday, but in addition to his clinical finishing, Latte Lath's pace and aerial ability make him a huge asset for Boro.

There are question marks over whether Latte Lath would have received a consistent run in the team had Boro brought in a free agent striker, but he has now nailed down his place as the club's first choice number nine.

It may be too late for Boro to reach the top six this season, but with the right signings in the summer, they look well-placed to challenge next term, and Latte Lath could be the man to lead them to promotion.