Middlesbrough questioned over “weird” proposed Hull City, Ivor Pandur move | OneFootball

Boro are reportedly ready to drop £5m in a position few expected to require major attention.

This article is part of Football League World's '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 reportedly have money on the table ready for Hull City goalkeeper Ivor Pandur.

That’s according to journalist Alan Nixon reporting via his Patreon page this week, where he revealed that Boro have set aside £5m for Pandur.

There is further interest from the continent, too, with TUTTOmercatoWeb reporting that West Ham are also considering a move.

We asked our Boro fan pundit, Liam Day, whether this deal makes sense for the club at present.

Middlesbrough told they have priorities before potential Ivor Pandur signing

Speaking to Football League World, Liam said: "I must say it's an interesting one because at the moment, I wouldn't say goalkeeper's a priority.

“Sol Brynn has started the season well enough. We've not really faced many shots, but what he has faced, he's done alright in.

“Don't get me wrong, he can be upgraded, probably. Pandur probably is that upgrade, but for £5m, I don't know, I feel like maybe we’d be able to get a bit more for our money.

“A proven player at the Championship level might be worth buying.

“I don't know, it's a weird one. I feel like it would be a good buy for the club, though.

“It's a position that can always use upgrading. Sol Brynn is still inexperienced, and if Seny Dieng is to leave, then that is one that we should be looking into.”

Middlesbrough already have their answer in-between the sticks

It was loanee Mark Travers who took over goalkeeping responsibilities for Boro in the second half of last season following injuries to Seny Dieng and Brynn, and sub-par performances from Tom Glover respectively.

But with Travers returning to Bournemouth and since signing for Everton, a gap has been there to fill at the Riverside Stadium.

Brynn has stepped into the breach perfectly, recording two clean sheets in his first three Championship outings this season, with no suggestion that he’s causing any major issue.

Added to that, Dieng is now in full training but will need some time before he is up to full match fitness.

The likelihood of another club buying a goalkeeper still recovering from a major injury is low, and with the window soon closing, it seems likely Brynn and Dieng are going to remain at the club this term.

If that is the case, Rob Edwards potentially has a battle on his hands for top spot between the sticks; adding another option into the mix at a top price seems unnecessary.

Rob Edwards may make better use of £5m elsewhere

As exclusively revealed by Football League World this week, Southampton are still hard a work in their pursuit of Finn Azaz, and it looks as though they've got their reward, with a deal worth £12m plus £3m in add-ons now reported to have been struck.

Added to that, Hayden Hackney has reportedly told the club he wants to leave if a Premier League bid comes in, according to Football Insider.

With the future of two of the club’s most important stars still up in the air at the tail-end of the transfer window, it would surely be more sensible for Boro to hold onto the £5m they feel they can commit to a new goalkeeper, and instead use it on a potential replacement for either of that duo.

Boro may feel they're already well-stocked in central midfield if Hackney is to go, with Sverre Nypan, Aidan Morris, Abdoulaye Kante and Law McCabe some of the options available to the Middlesbrough head coach.

But losing Azaz may well force Boro back into the market for another versatile forward player to help replace him, as behind Azaz, Edwards has the relative unknown quantity in Sontje Hansen, a player in Morgan Whittaker who is yet to kickstart his Middlesbrough career, and other fringe options such as Delano Burgzorg, Marcus Forss and the injury prone Riley McGree respectively.