Middlesbrough will be hoping that Liverpool don’t come calling in January | OneFootball

Liverpool loanee Ben Doak has been a revelation at the Riverside Stadium

The January transfer window is likely to be of substantial importance to Michael Carrick in a bid to bolster his squad at Middlesbrough and force their way into promotion contention, though a chief call of duty will surely be retaining the services of Ben Doak for the full duration of the 2024/25 Championship campaign.

Inconsistency has once again been an issue which Middlesbrough have fought with during the early stages of the season, but they've headed into the international break in scintillating form and will be hoping to climb further up the table when the two-week lay-off concludes with a trip to Oxford United on November 23.

A 3-0 defeat at home to Coventry City, who are now without a manager after parting ways with Mark Robins less than a week later, seemingly handed Carrick's side a much-needed wake-up call, as they've been lethal ever since.

They responded in the best possible way by running out 4-1 victors at QPR before putting lowly Luton Town to the sword in a thrilling 5-0 rout at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Perhaps the most important takeaway from the last two matches is that Boro have goals flying in across the pitch; the win over QPR featured four different goalscorers while the win at home to Luton saw Delano Burgzorg open his account as Finn Azaz scored two of his three league strikes on the afternoon.

The recent upturn in form has been headed by a collective effort, featuring numerous contributors in-front of goal.

But while electric loanee Ben Doak did not add any goals against either QPR or Luton, he's still managing to grow in confidence and importance to his side, who will doubtless be sweating over his immediate future once the January transfer window rolls around.

Ben Doak's 2024/25 form for Middlesbrough will not be going unnoticed

The Teessiders turned heads on Deadline Day by successfully striking a shock deal for Doak, beating off reported competition from the likes of Leicester City and Southampton alongside a number of undisclosed Championship rivals to land him on loan for the season.

The 19-year-old has already made 10 senior appearances for Liverpool, where he has been held in incredibly high regard ever since he made the switch from Celtic in 2022.

Doak has wasted no time in showing Boro and the Championship exactly what he's all about, scoring once and setting up a further three goals from his opening 10 matches.

Goals and assists, however, perhaps fail to display the entirety of Doak's instant impact on Teesside, with his explosive speed, trickery and ball-carrying qualities providing Boro with a lethal outlet on the right-hand side, particularly when in transition.

He's been simply unplayable in the last two matches especially, continuing to burn past opposition full-backs at breakneck speed but now claiming to gather the assists, which are simply the tip of the iceberg as far as his creative influence is concerned.

The Scotland international must be a real a nightmare to play against, so much so that it's hardly an uncommon sight to see opposition teams stick two defenders on him - thus freeing up space for the likes of Finn Azaz to get in behind.

The thought of losing him in January, then, is one which is surely sending shivers down the spines of the Boro faithful, even if they've already resigned themselves to the reality of only seeing Doak at the club for one season.

Middlesbrough may have Liverpool, Ben Doak recall fear

Ahead of the deal being rubber-stamped, Liverpool reportedly "insisted" on including a recall clause, which will come into play when the January window hits.

Whether the Reds activate that option, of course, remains to be seen and hinges upon myriad factors, though Arne Slot recently joked that they might be forced into doing so after picking up injuries in the final-third.

Currently, the Dutch boss is without both Diogo Jota and Juventus loanee Federico Chiesa through injury, and when the wing duo return, of course, the chances of Liverpool exercising their recall option will naturally be slimmer.

Even now, Middlesbrough are reportedly "relaxed" about the situation as Doak is enjoying his football and was sent out on loan in the first place due to a lack of available game time.

However, Liverpool are poised to be competing on all fronts this season under Slot, who has his new side five points clear at the top of the Premier League table after just 11 matches.

They're also top of the UEFA Champions League group standings following four straight victories and are surely in strong contention to win both competitions come the end of the campaign.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are heading into the EFL Cup quarter-finals and will surely intend on going all the way to lift their first FA Cup trophy since the 2021/22 season.

Liverpool lack the strength in depth of some of their rivals at the top-end of the Premier League, though Slot's first 11 is undoubtedly very strong, so a potential recall for Doak simply can't be ruled out.

They could potentially be competing in four separate competitions come the turn of the year and that's naturally going to stretch out the squad, and it wouldn't come as a real shock if Slot decided to recall Doak simply as cover, even if first-team opportunities are likely to prove difficult to attain regardless.

Admittedly, a premature return to Anfield doesn't exactly look on the cards, so to speak, but it's still a possibility and Boro will always have that worry.