Alfie Doughty 2.0: Rob Edwards might have struck Middlesbrough transfer gold with Newcastle United deal | OneFootball

The Boro boss may have found his ideal alternative to his former Luton Town star.

Middlesbrough are set to sign Newcastle United defender Matt Targett, and he could offer Boro boss Rob Edwards the chance to replicate his Alfie Doughty success at Luton Town.

The Teessiders are perhaps one of the surprise packages through the early weeks of the 2025/26 Championship season.

After three games, Middlesbrough sit joint-top alongside Stoke City with a maximum of nine points to their name, which is something few people were predicting given the summer of change that has descended on the Riverside Stadium.

There was understandable skepticism over Edwards' appointment due to the nature of how his Luton Town story ended, but with some eye-catching new arrivals and rewards already being reaped thanks to some of his tactical tweaks, Boro look as though they could be in for a memorable season.

With just days remaining of the transfer window, Middlesbrough are set to make the signing of Matt Targett from Newcastle United, and it's a deal that could see Edwards install some similar elements to his side when deploying Alfie Doughty from his time at Luton, elements that played a key role in helping the Hatters reach the Premier League.

Alfie Doughty played pivotal role in Rob Edwards' and Luton Town's Premier League fairytale

Upon his arrival at Kenilworth Road in November 2022, Edwards inherited a side that had established themselves as genuine promotion contenders in the Championship.

The Hatters had recorded a sixth-placed finish in 2021/22 under Nathan Jones, who Edwards had come in to replace after he left to take the Southampton job a week earlier.

One of the players signed by Luton in the summer of 2022 was Doughty, with the left wing-back joining from Stoke City, and he quickly became a star player under Luton's new boss.

Indeed, it was Doughty's superb passing and crossing delivery paired with his confident and effective dribbling that made him one of the most feared and dangerous wide players in the Championship.

As per FotMob, Doughty ranked in the top 96.2 percentile of his positional second tier peers when it came to the number of successful crosses he made that year (71), whilst also ranking in the top 90.5 percentile for crossing accuracy (31.4 per cent) and 95.2 percentile for chances created (54).

It wasn't just the outlet he provided in attack either that saw him become one of the best players in the division; the former Cardiff City and Charlton man also proved himself to be a highly adept defender too.

His 64.8 per cent aerial duels win-rate placed him in the top 95.2 percentile of Championship left wing-backs, whilst he also made 162 recoveries and would often help cause turnovers high up the pitch with his pressing and work-rate.

So many of Luton's goals scored in that 22/23 season came from crosses or deliveries into the box, and whether it was from the right flank or the left, Doughty provided a routine pathway to goal because of that.

In short, Doughty was an essential part of Luton and Edwards' success at Kenilworth Road, playing a central role in helping the club reach and ultimately win the play-off final over Coventry in 2023.

His impact didn't stop there either, as the left-footer went on to arguably have an even better season in the Premier League the following term, registering two goals and eight assists in 37 top-flight outings despite the Hatters' relegation that year.

Once again, Doughty ranked among the very best in his position in the Premier League in some key attacking and defensive metrics, and even finished in the top 100 percentile (no player in his position registered higher numbers) for chances created (70) and successful crosses (89).

It's no wonder then that Middlesbrough were keen to bring him to the Riverside to reunite with his former boss this summer, before he opted to sign for Millwall.

Rob Edwards can find similar Doughty success with Middlesbrough through Matt Targett

One of the key aspects of Edwards' Luton Town tactics when it came to Doughty was ensuring that he always stayed wide, always providing width and space for his teammates to exploit.

Why that specific role handed to Doughy worked so well was because of his superb left foot, as it meant that he didn't feel the need to cut inside in order to deliver quality crosses or pick out a better passing option.

That, however, isn't currently the case with Middlesbrough's starting left wing-back, Sammy Silvera.

The Australian has performed admirably stepping in at the position in the absence of a natural option there, due to a combination of injury issues to Alex Bangura and better performances in central defence from Neto Borges respectively.

But, the 24-year-old - who is a winger by trade - is right-footed, meaning that he often feels more confident and comfortable cutting in and chopping back onto his stronger side, which in turn has seen him pass up some crossing and forward passes that a natural left-sided player would otherwise be able to find.

That becomes a problem when you consider that a fundamental part of Edwards' tactical approach is that when Boro find themselves with a chance to shoot or put a cross into the box, to capitialise on that and produce a high-volume of goalscoring chances.

However, having a right-footer on the left who is being asked to stay as wide as possible can have somewhat of a reverse effect in this regard, as they understandably want to get the ball onto their stronger foot rather than taking an earlier chance on their weaker side.

Signing Matt Targett on a season-long loan deal from Newcastle United, however, should remedy that.

The attack-minded 29-year-old left-back/wing-back is left-footed, and has proven himself to be a quality player at Premier League and Championship level throughout his career.

Indeed, when he was last able to play a key role in the Premier League with Aston Villa and Newcastle in the 2021/22 season, Targett ranked in the top 92.3 percentile of top-flight players in his position for chances created (40), 93.8 percentile for successful crosses (40) and 89.2 percentile for crossing accuracy (30.1 per cent) - per FotMob.

Therefore, Targett will be able to provide those similar tactical traits to Doughty for Edwards to call upon, and so should he stay fit, the Boro boss could repeat his success with his former wing-back and place a cornerstone piece into his Premier League promotion puzzle.