Middlesbrough must consider deadline day swoop for Sheffield Utd and Cardiff City target: Opinion | OneFootball

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It is now a matter of hours and not days before the transfer deadline slams shut.

Indeed, 11pm on Friday night will soon come around quickly, and as such, clubs across the EFL will be scrambling to put their final touches on their squads ahead of the remainder of the season.

One club to keep an eye on in that respect is Championship side Middlesbrough, with reports suggesting they are keen to add to their attacking options.

This hardly comes as a surprise given just how much attacking talent they had last season, compared to this one.

For example, the club have lost both Chuba Akpom and Cameron Archer this summer.

Akpom, who scored 28 league goals last term, secured himself a permanent move to Ajax from Boro.

Meanwhile, Archer, who netted 11 goals and registered six assists on loan at Middlesbrough last season, returned to his parent club Aston Villa ahead of sealing a permanent transfer to Sheffield United.

Which attacking players do Middlesbrough currently have?

With Middlesbrough looking for attacking reinforcements, one name they have turned to is Leeds United forward Sam Greenwood.

Reports via Football Insider broke on Wednesday that Boro were advanced discussions over a loan deal for the 21-year-old, with Leeds open to a loan deal because of just how far down the pecking order Greenwood is at Elland Road, particularly after Joel Piroe's recent arrival from Swansea.

This move has since been confirmed, but is it enough for Middlesbrough? Arguably not.

Is signing Sam Greenwood a risk for Middlesbrough?

Signing a young player like Greenwood on loan hardly looks as though it is going to solve Middlesbrough's attacking woes, and it is a big ask for him to be able to help fill the huge void left by Akpom and Archer.

Indeed, as talented as he may turn out to be, at this stage, Greenwood has just one senior goal to his name, and if he does go on to succeed for Middlesbrough this season if he signs, he will have to take his football to a completely new level.

There is one man who could come in and potentially be prolific for Michael Carrick's side, though.

Middlesbrough should enquire about Kieffer Moore

That player is current AFC Bournemouth striker Kieffer Moore.

As per Mike McGrath of The Telegraph, several Championship sides are expected to make a move for the 31-year-old ahead of the transfer deadline, and I see no reason as to why Middlesbrough should not be one of them.

Cardiff City - one of Moore's former clubs - are the only second tier side to be credited and named as being interested so far, and Boro would surely fancy their chances of landing him ahead of the Bluebirds.

Of course, Sheffield United have also been linked, but even if a stay in the Premier League is on the cards, given they've just signer Archer and the fact Moore may prefer regular guaranteed minutes this season, a move to the Championship could still work.

When in the second tier previously, Moore has demonstrated a fine ability to not only lead the line but also score goals, sometimes at a prolific rate.

Look at his 2020/21 campaign with Cardiff City, for example, where he scored twenty league goals for the club that season.

Compared to someone like Greenwood, Moore is a far more experienced and proven option, and far less of a risk, even if stylistically it may not be the ideal fit.

That is not to say Boro shouldn't go for Greenwood, too, but that they should look to bring in another alongside him.