Middlesbrough backed to take action on 18-goal ace after Chuba Akpom blow - "£5m is reasonable" | OneFootball

Richard Kone looks destined for the Championship, and FLW's Boro fan pundit would like to see him at The Riverside

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...

It seems that a return to Middlesbrough is off the cards for Chuba Akpom.

The 29-year-old looks almost certain to make a return to the Championship, two years after he departed The Riverside for Ajax, but either Birmingham City or Ipswich Town look the likely suitors, making Friday's Championship opener even more must-see.

Boro did throw their hat in the ring, but with the 2022/23 Championship golden boot winner rumoured to be making the move for around £7 million, Rob Edwards' side arguably won't have enough to persuade Akpom to come back to Teeside.

Middlesbrough definitely need a new striker before the end of the summer transfer window, as Kelechi Iheanacho's return to Sevilla and Josh Coburn's permanent transfer to Millwall leave Tommy Conway and Marcus Forss as their only recognised senior frontmen.

Therefore, FLW's Boro fan pundit, Liam Day, feels that his side should join the likes of Swansea City and Leicester City in the race for in-demand Wycombe Wanderers striker, Richard Kone.

Middlesbrough told to go after 18-goal League One striker

Despite a rather poor second half of the season, Kone still has plenty of suitors at Championship level, after the Wycombe frontman scored 16 in 28 League One games before the end of January last season.

Swansea look more likely to complete a move, but face competition from Leicester in a move which is likely to cost around £5 million, and Day wants his side to join the race for the Ivorian.

"I'd really like to see Kone at Boro," he said. "I think he's got all the qualities to be a top striker.

"£5 million is a reasonable price for him, despite having a poor second half to the season. But I feel that Mike Dodds isn't a great manager and didn't play to his strengths at all."

Dodds arrived at Adams Park in February to replace Matt Bloomfield, who joined Luton Town. Kone scored just twice in the 13 league games he played under the former Sunderland assistant head coach, and was largely ineffective in both legs of their play-off semi-final defeat against Charlton Athletic.

"You saw his strengths in the first half of the season, and he really impressed, and I'd be willing to take the risk to bring him in," Day continued.

"He has all the attributes to make it in the Premier League, not just the Championship. He's still young, still has time to develop, and I feel he'd offer us something different to Tommy Conway as well, so I would like to see the move.

"It should be one that Boro are interested in, and I'm quite frustrated that we haven't been, and it doesn't seem like we might have the budget for him.

"If we had the choice, I'd like us to go and get him."

Richard Kone has all the ability to explode in the Championship this season

Kone image credit - Benji Walker (@benjiwalkerphoto)

For someone who has never played higher than League One level, and has only actually been a professional footballer for a year and a half, £5 million may look steep for Kone. However, the 22-year-old is destined for great things, you'd expect, and could become a Premier League regular, as Day alluded to.

The Wycombe frontman is strong, quick and direct. Not only does he score a bagful of goals, but he was among the best strikers in League One last season for successful dribbles and chances created, and took the most touches in the box out of any striker in the third tier, too.

That says that he is not only good on the ball, but he also creates opportunities for himself and his teammates, and has an eagerness to get on the end of crosses and balls into the box.

At 22, he still has room to develop, smash through the glass ceiling, and become worth way more than £5 million in two or three years' time.

Therefore, his investment seems a good one, and it seems inevitable that he'll be in the Championship soon enough. Boro need a new frontman, and if they're going to miss out on Akpom, then Kone would be a good way to fill that gap.