Middlesbrough should sign £25m ex-favourite if they win promotion | OneFootball

Kim Hellberg should look to bring Ben Gannon-Doak back to Middlesbrough this summer if promotion is secured

Under Kim Hellberg, Middlesbrough have sustained their promotion push in the Championship this season, with their fate likely going down to the wire, but currently, and crucially, still within their hands.

It's been an excellent season on Teesside for Middlesbrough, who, although having seen their gap to league leaders Coventry City increase over the past month or so, remain well within the hunt for automatic promotion.

Rob Edwards laid the foundations for this campaign before the Welsh boss jumped ship for Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers, leading to the appointment of Kim Hellberg.

The Swedish head coach had come close to joining Swansea City instead, but it was Middlesbrough who he would ultimately join from his native country, and since then, they have been one of the league's outstanding sides.

If promotion is secured, whilst Hellberg will want to keep the core of his side that got them to the top flight, upgrades will have to be made to prepare them for the trials and tribulations of Premier League football.

Therefore, a return for a former loan player who lit up the Riverside just last season should be on the cards for Boro and Hellberg if their exit from the second tier is secured this summer.

Middlesbrough should look to re-sign Ben Gannon-Doak this summer from Bournemouth

Ben Gannon-Doak spent the 2024/25 season on loan with Middlesbrough, and in his limited appearances, he showed exactly what he was capable of, leading to a lucrative move in the summer.

Premier League side AFC Bournemouth parted ways with upwards of £25 million for Gannon-Doak from Liverpool, with the Scottish international joining the Cherries on a five-year deal.

His performances on loan at the Riverside last season were enough to see Bournemouth make him one of the club's most expensive ever additions, though his time on the South Coast has yet to go to plan.

With Middlesbrough, the winger scored three and assisted seven in 24 league games under former Boro boss Michael Carrick, predominantly playing off the right.

His ability to pick the ball up from deep and willingness to run at players instantly made him a fan favourite on Teesside, so when he sustained a hamstring injury in January 2025, ruling him out for the remainder of the season, it came as a huge blow for the club.

Crystal Palace made an offer to Liverpool worth around £15 million that January for Gannon-Doak, though their bid fell short of the Merseyside club's valuation, and his injury shortly after ended the Eagles' interest in the Scot.

However, Bournemouth had not forgotten about his performances and brought him to the South Coast in the summer to link up with the likes of Evanilson, Eli Junior Kroupi, Marcus Tavernier, Justin Kluivert, Amine Adli, and David Brooks in the Cherries attack.

The 20-year-old would make just four substitute appearances for Bournemouth before sustaining another hamstring injury on international duty with Scotland, leading him to have surgery on the injury.

He has since missed much of the season, having not appeared in a matchday squad since November.

Ahead of the summer, it's unclear whether his game time will increase upon his return to fitness, with his best course of action possibly to head out on loan, and should Middlesbrough fire themselves to the Premier League, Hellberg could do a lot worse than to sanction the return of the Scot.

Kim Hellberg should look into a potential deal for Ben Gannon-Doak if Middlesbrough secure promotion

If Middlesbrough can call themselves a Premier League team next season, Hellberg must do everything he can to seal a return for Gannon-Doak.

Whilst Boro's forward options of Riley McGree, Morgan Whittaker, and Tommy Conway have performed well, they lack the quality on the ball that the Scot possesses.

Hellberg already sought to add to his side's attacking options during the January window, completing deals for Leo Castledine permanently from Chelsea and Jeremy Sarmiento on loan from Brighton.

It's unclear at this stage whether Boro will turn that loan into a permanent deal, though if promotion is secured, they should look elsewhere, and Gannon-Doak could be the perfect option.

With Brazilian winger Rayan lighting things up from out wide since his move to the Cherries in the winter, Gannon-Doak's game time, even when fit, is not secured, and he cannot afford another year of not playing.

A loan to Boro, if they are a Premier League side, may be the best course of action for everyone involved, allowing the Scot to develop in the top flight, giving him the game time he can't currently be guaranteed at Bournemouth, and upgrading Boro's wide options.