Middlesbrough: Emmanuel Latte Lath, Chuba Akpom comparison issued as Atlanta United struggles continue | OneFootball

FLW's Middlesbrough fan pundit believes that Emmanuel Latte Lath should have stayed at the club

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...

After a whole winter transfer window of speculation regarding his future, Emmanuel Latte Lath left Middlesbrough in February to join MLS side Atlanta United - but it's not going too well across the Atlantic Ocean.

In what was a will he/won't he saga for many weeks, Boro sold Latte Lath to Atlanta for a mammoth £22.5 million fee, and there has been big expectations of the 26-year-old over in the States given the size of the transfer fee.

The Ivorian striker has netted just five times during his spell in the States since his move though, and is goalless in his last 11 matches as Atlanta struggle towards the bottom end of the MLS Eastern Conference.

There have been speculation though that despite his poor form, Latte Lath is on Ipswich’s list of names to replace Liam Delap, which could end up bringing his stint in Atlanta to a sharp end.

Chuba Akpom comparison made following Emmanuel Latte Lath’s Atlanta dry spell

Football League World’s Middlesbrough fan pundit, Phil Auton, believes that delaying the striker’s exit until the summer could have worked out better for all parties.

“Latte Lath’s agent didn't have a great reputation with us Boro fans,” Phil told FLW.

“He was constantly touting him for moves here, there and everywhere and was one of the more active agents who wouldn't really disguise it either.

“When your agent gets involved, the player always has the opportunity to say no to them rather than letting the agent dictate things, so that attitude goes a long way for me.

"I think had we been in a stronger position in January, we could have kept him.

“That would have given us a bit more emphasis to get promoted and make us stronger. But for a club where we're at financially, £22.5 million is just too much to turn down. But again, I'd like to have waved that off until the summer and see where we're at then.

“He's a great player. He was a little bit streaky for us where he'd go through periods where he’d get eight goals in 12 games and then he'd go and do what he's doing at Atlanta at the moment.

“It feels like Chuba Akpom in the sense that, he is a bit of a journeyman, then he's had one really good season and he's gone. I always find that a bit disappointing, but I think that's the modern-day footballer.

“I wouldn't be surprised if he's one of those that moves again and quite swiftly, similar to Akpom.

"He went to Ajax, didn't really do it there, went out on loan and hasn’t really got going elsewhere. I think Latte Lath could fall into that same kind of bracket, but there's certainly a lot of talent there.”

Emmanuel Latte Lath could find his Middlesbrough form with a move back to England if a deal transpires

It’s fair to say Latte Lath’s move to Atlanta hasn’t worked out, and it wouldn’t be unrealistic to see him move back to the Championship this summer.

The Ivorian ended the 2024/25 campaign as Boro’s third top scorer, which highlights his prolific form in the first half of the season.

If Ipswich do decide to pursue a move for the striker, he could easily find that form once again in one of the second-tier’s most competitive sides.

Although the Riverside outfit made £22.5 million from his sale, 10 per cent of that fee went to Latte Lath’s former employers, Atalanta, and they aren’t believed to have inserted any clause that would see them benefit from a future sale.

Therefore, if the Boro faithful have to watch their former talisman firing in goals for the Tractor Boys next term, they may feel that their club have come off negatively from the 26-year-old’s sale.