"£2m" - Middlesbrough urged to take firm Isaiah Jones stance in January amid exit talk | OneFootball

FLW's Middlesbrough fan pundit has given his view on reports that winger Isaiah Jones is looking to leave the club in January.

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…

Middlesbrough are facing a dilemma about whether to sell winger Isaiah Jones in the January transfer window as he is believed to be looking to leave the club.

Jones joined Middlesbrough from non-league side Tooting & Mitcham United in the summer of 2019, and after loan spells in Scotland with St Johnstone and Queen of the South, he established himself in the first-team at the Riverside Stadium in the 2021-22 season.

After an impressive breakthrough campaign, Jones reportedly attracted interest from the likes of Crystal Palace and West Ham United, but he has struggled to hit the same heights consistently in the subsequent years.

Jones scored nine goals and provided five assists in 41 games last season, but he has been pushed down the pecking order this term after the arrival of Ben Doak on loan from Liverpool in the summer, and he is yet to register a goal or assist in 19 appearances.

The 25-year-old only signed a new three-year contract with Boro in April, but as we exclusively revealed this week, he is keen to leave the club in January, and there is thought to be interest in his services.

Middlesbrough told not to sell Isaiah Jones in January

When asked for his thoughts on Jones' situation, FLW'sMiddlesbrough fan pundit Jasper Hudson said he can understand why the winger is looking to depart in search of regular game time, but he believes the club should only consider sanctioning a loan move in January, rather than a permanent exit.

"I completely understand why Isaiah Jones wants to leave," Jasper said.

"It can't be an easy position for him, he's had that place ever since he broke out under Neil Warnock, but Ben Doak is just so far superior, and there is very little chance of Jones getting a start over him this season.

"A loan could be a good deal for both him and us.

"He's not been at his best recently, so a loan to a lower Championship club would be a great chance for him to showcase his skill, get some consistent game time and hopefully transition back into that great player than he can be.

"When he is on his game, he is one of the best wingers in the Championship, he's got so much raw pace and skill, but we haven't really seen that from him, so I think a move to a Championship club could be a good deal.

"I wouldn't want to lose him permanently, I feel like if we don't go up this year, we need him next year in the Championship, so from a fan's perspective, a loan is the best case scenario, but I understand he might want a permanent move.

"I imagine there will be a whole host of teams in the Championship that will be trying to get a deal done for him.

"Should he leave on a permanent, I wouldn't really take anything less than £1.5-2 million because there is still a lot of potential.

"The only caveat to that is he hasn't played well recently, which is why I think that if we sell him, we could be losing out on a lot of money potentially.

"Even if it's just a loan until the end of the season, and similar to Djed Spence, he has a good half a season on loan, we can get a fairer market value for him because it's going to be tough to convince a team that £2 million is the right price tag for a player who barely features in the Championship.

"I'd much prefer it to be a loan, and hopefully he will come back a better player for it."

With little chance of him getting in the team ahead of Doak, it is easy to see why Jones is becoming frustrated with his lack of game time at Middlesbrough.

Jones may feel it is the right time to depart the Riverside Stadium on a permanent basis, and if a club can meet their asking price, it could make sense for Boro to cash in on him in January.

However, as Doak is only on loan until the end of the season, Jones may be needed on Teesside next term, and a loan spell could help him to regain his confidence, as well as potentially increasing his valuation ahead of the summer transfer window.