Middlesbrough strike deal to beat Nottingham Forest and Wolves to 21-year-old | OneFootball

Middlesbrough have struck a deal believed to be in the region of £1m to sign Brentford attacker Alex Gilbert, according to Sky Sports.

The winger did have the opportunity to remain at Thomas Frank's side - but reportedly turned down a contract and has seemingly decided that it's time to move on from the Bees.

Boro are keen to bring the average age of their squad down this summer and could do that by recruiting 21-year-old Gilbert, with the departures of Luke Daniels and Grant Hall also likely to help in that quest.

Has Alex Gibert managed to get the chance to shine at a senior level?

Unfortunately, he has made just two first-team appearances for the Bees and they both came during the 2020/21 campaign in the FA Cup, with the player not having a sniff of senior football under Frank in recent times.

He did get the opportunity to go out on loan to Swindon Town during the 2021/22 season, but made just 12 appearances for the Robins, recorded two assists and didn't manage to get himself on the scoresheet.

With this, he will surely be keen to impress at Boro, who could give him the option to shine in the first team if he can do well enough at Rockliffe in pre-season.

The Northern Echo believes Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers both held talks with Gilbert, with both teams likely to have had him as a squad option considering the quality in their respective teams.

Despite their Premier League status though, that seemingly hasn't been enough to stop Boro from winning the race, with Michael Carrick's side confident that they will be able to get a deal over the line.

Compensation will need to be paid, but the Teesside outfit will be able to afford this following a couple of big sales last summer.

Is Alex Gilbert making the right decision?

Gilbert probably has more of a chance of playing regularly in the Championship than he does in the top tier and this is why he's probably making the right choice to come to the Riverside.

He was born in Birmingham so a move to Wolves or Forest would have made sense - but he could be a key contributor at the Riverside after Boro lost Cameron Archer.

The fact he's a winger also allows him to bring something different to a Boro side that could benefit from using the full width of the pitch at times, with Isaiah Jones also able to be a threat out wide.

Gilbert may not start all games - but with nine substitutes now allowed - he could have the opportunity to appear from the bench regularly and then try and force his way into the starting lineup.