Middlesbrough should focus more on Nottingham Forest raid than Leeds United: View | OneFootball

Highlights

As the January transfer window approaches, it looks as though central defensive recruits will be a priority for Middlesbrough.

Darragh Lenihan has recently been ruled out for the rest of the season due to injury, while Matt Clarke is only just returning from his latest injury-enforced layoff.

Meanwhile, Paddy McNair is out of contract at The Riverside Stadium come the summer, meaning he too may be facing an uncertain future at the club.

As a result, Boro may well need to strengthen their defensive depth come the turn of the year and it now seems as if they already have a number of targets identified.

According to recent reports from TeamTalk, Middlesbrough are currently leading the race to sign central defensive duo Scott McKenna and Joe Worrall from Nottingham Forest.

It has been claimed that both players are training separately from the rest of Forest's first-team squad and have been made available for sale.

With Boro subsequently thought to have moved quickly to make enquiries for the duo, they are said to be in pole position to sign both players.

Meanwhile, it has been claimed elsewhere that Leeds' Charlie Cresswell is also among the players being targeted to fill that centre-back void at the Riverside Stadium.

Such a deal would not be the first of its type this season, with attacking midfielder Sam Greenwood having already joined Boro on a season-long loan from the Elland Road club back in the summer.

But despite that, there does seem to be an argument that the Teessiders ought to be prioritising a raid of The City Ground, rather than Elland Road, for their central defensive reinforcements, come the turn of the year.

McKenna and/or Worrall look stronger options for Middlesbrough than Cresswell

While all three targets could be suitable options for the job Middlesbrough need them to do, it feels as though the Forest duo may well be the more sensible targets.

Right now, Cresswell is still at the very early stages of his career, having so far made just 43 senior appearances to date.

The vast majority of those outings came during a loan spell with Millwall last season, as they finished eighth in the Championship table.

By contrast, both McKenna and Worrall have amassed over 250 games during their club careers so far, with the duo also playing important roles in Forest's promotion from the Championship to the Premier League during the 2021/22 season.

That significant extra experience, not least in the battle for promotion, could therefore be crucial for Middlesbrough if they were to secure one or both of the Forest duo since that knowhow and insight could help Carrick's own side get over the line as they attempt to return to the Premier League this season.

Indeed, with Leeds also aiming to secure promotion back to the Premier League in 2023/24 as well they may be reluctant to do business with a rival over Cresswell, especially given they might feel as though they have already strengthened Boro with that deal for Greenwood.

As a result, it could be harder for Middlesbrough to secure a deal for the Leeds defender, who also has a contract at Elland Road until the summer of 2027, which is longer than either McKenna's or Worrall's at The City Ground.

Consequently, the Leeds man may therefore either be more expensive than one of those Forest targets or more likely to be a loan option.

That could prevent him from becoming a long-term asset for Boro in the way that either McKenna or Worrall could, given they are seemingly free to leave their own side come the turn of the year.

With all that in mind, it does seem as though a move for Worrall and/or McKenna from Forest, could be more sensible for Middlesbrough than pursuing Cresswell from Leeds, when looking to both the immediate and more extended future.