Joe Worrall from Nottingham Forest to Middlesbrough: Is it a good potential move? Would he start? What does he offer? | OneFootball

A major injury development has forced Middlesbrough to alter their transfer strategy, but it could end up being for the better if they bring in Joe Worrall.

Boro's vice captain, Darragh Lenihan, has only featured in one game of football in the 2023/24 season. That solo game was the club's first league victory of the season, when they beat Southampton. He's been suffering issues with his Achilles, and the club had hoped that he'd be able to get through the problem without the need for surgery.

Unfortunately for Michael Carrick, the central defender did have to undergo an operation to sort out the injury during the last international break. Such a procedure means that he will be joining fellow defender Tommy Smith in being ruled out for the rest of the season.

An injury to Paddy McNair that forced him off after just 35 minutes against Leeds, as well as Anferee Dijksteel being suspended for the weekend's game against Ipswich, will have really put the Middlesbrough recruitment staff on defender watch. What will relieve tensions among supporters, a bit, is that the club are reportedly looking at bringing in Nottingham Forest centre-back Joe Worrall, as per The Sun.

Is it a good potential move for Joe Worall?

With the current injury list that seems to have hit the back-line the hardest, bringing in someone like Worrall would be a strong signing. The 26-year-old has years of Championship experience under his belt, most notably winning promotion with Forest to the Premier League just two seasons ago.

In said campaign, the defender started 39 games, and averaged above a 7/10 Sofascore match rating. With the way that his side played in that season, the playing style of Boro shouldn't be too much of an alien concept to him, if he were to make the move to the northeast.

Of course, there are concerns about this move. The main gripe with this deal could be that the 26-year-old has almost exclusively played as part of a back-three for a few seasons on the bounce now, so it may take some time for him to adjust to that. If Boro want to bring him in permanently, it won't be a bargain deal; Sofascore has put an eight-figure value on him.

The Sun suggested that this deal would be a loan one though. To get a player who has shown themselves to be at least competent at the Premier League level is rarely ever a bad move to make for a second-tier team.

Would Joe Worall start for Middlesbrough?

The best way to answer this question is to look at the current state. Lenihan is out for the season, McNair has just picked up an injury, and Matthew Clarke came on to replace him against Leeds. Their current luck doesn't imply that everyone is definitely going to be healthy by the time January comes around.

So, if the choice is potentially between Clarke or Worrall starting at the back for Middlesbrough, it'd be a surprise if either Carrick or the Boro fans chose their current number five over the Forest man.

What does Joe Worrall offer?

The proven Championship and Premier League quality is clear for all to see. But bringing in Worrall wouldn't just be due to his CV. This season, Middlesbrough have had an average of 52.8% of possession, per game, in the Championship. In Forest's promotion season, they had just over 50% possession in games, on average.

There are some similarities in the teams that the 26-year-old has played for and could play for. But the numbers also suggest that he can also do a similar job to what Carrick currently wants of his defenders. McNair and Rav van den Berg, for example, have been playing 51.1 and 36.9 accurate passes per game, respectively. In Worrall's last Championship campaign, he played 43.8 accurate passes per game.

There are similarities between the potential loanee and Boro's current, available defenders. There's no point in bringing in players if they don't fit your system. Worrall has shown he has the quality, experience, as well as the defensive and on-the-ball ability to work in a top-end Championship side, and that's what Middlesbrough are trying to be.