"No-brainer" - Middlesbrough urged to seriously consider Huddersfield Town transfer pursuit | OneFootball

'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Middlesbrough have been told to join the race to sign Huddersfield Town’s Sorba Thomas this summer.

Boro can begin planning for the upcoming summer transfer window now, with their position in the Championship for next season secured.

Michael Carrick has overseen a top half of the table finish in his first full campaign at the Riverside, with the team narrowly missing out on a play-off place.

The Teesside outfit will be hoping to bridge the gap to the top six during the off-season.

It hasn’t quite been the campaign many expected of them back in August, but there are still plenty of reasons to believe the club can compete at a higher level next year with the right new additions.

Middlesbrough told to pursue Sorba Thomas deal

FLW’s Middlesbrough fan pundit Dana Malt has claimed that Sorba Thomas is someone that should be on the club’s radar this summer.

She has highlighted the team’s need for greater strength out wide, as well as his set piece delivery, as two key reasons why targeting the Huddersfield forward would make sense.

“I wouldn’t go as far as to say he would be my dream signing for Boro in the summer, but I at least hope we’re interested in Sorba Thomas,” Malt told Football League World.

“I think it’s a no-brainer for a Championship side to be looking at him because Huddersfield are all but down, and he is their best asset.

“So, he definitely won’t stay there, I think he’ll get a Championship move in the summer.

“And Boro could do with better quality out wide.

“I know he predominantly plays on the right, and that’s not the position on the wings that Boro need to strengthen the most, the important side on the left, but crucially for Sorba Thomas, he’s very good on set pieces.

“I completely understand that deliveries are pretty much only half of what makes decent set pieces, you’ve still got to have that movement in the box, somebody to get their head on the cross.

“But I do think set pieces are an area that Boro could probably look towards improving next season.

“We’ve not been terrible at it, but I do think we can squeeze a few extra points out of getting those set pieces into the back of the net and turning those draws into wins.

“So, Sorba Thomas would be a decent pick up for most Championship sides, and hopefully Boro are one of the teams that will be in for him.”

Thomas has contributed four goals and nine assists for the Terriers in the league this year, the most contributions in the entire squad (all stats from Fbref). It's been more of the same from the wide man to what we've seen in previous years.

However, his standout performances have not proven enough to keep the club in the Championship, with relegation all but certain with one game to go.

The Yorkshire outfit needs to win their final game, against promotion-chasing Ipswich Town, and hope Plymouth Argyle and Birmingham City both also lose, with a big goal difference swing also needed.

Meanwhile, Middlesbrough will face Watford at home on Saturday, where a victory will ensure a top eight finish in the table.

Thomas will surely leave Huddersfield this summer

Thomas is contracted to Huddersfield until 2026, but the club dropping down into League One raises serious doubts over his future with the Terriers.

There will no doubt be a number of clubs chasing his signature if he does go, as he has proven himself as a very capable forward at a Championship level.

It remains to be seen what kind of fee he would be available for, but it could be a reasonably low figure if Huddersfield are down in League One.

Middlesbrough need to be more proactive in the transfer market this summer, so this could be a deal they can get to work on quickly, if it’s someone Carrick believes can improve the team.