Giles in, Hamilton out: Middlesbrough FC transfers we urge the club to make before February 3rd | OneFootball

We've comprised a list of a number of deals we'd urge Boro to complete before the winter window deadline.

The winter transfer window is fast approaching, and it's one that could have a big impact on Middlesbrough's Premier League promotion push.

Boro head coach Michael Carrick and head of football Kieran Scott will be desperate to ensure the playing squad comes out of the January window no weaker than when it entered, as the Teessiders look to maintain their promotion bid in the second half of the season.

However, Middlesbrough have currently maxed out their 25-man squad as per the EFL's registration rules, meaning if they intend on signing any player that isn't under the age of 21 or on loan, they will first need to create a space in their team.

That could set Boro's decision makers up with some big and important calls to make when the January window opens. But what might some of those be, and who could they look to bring in?

FLW takes a look at a number of deals we'd urge the Teessiders to make before the 3 February deadline.

Ryan Giles makes permanent Middlesbrough return

Few loan players have made quite the level of impact Ryan Giles did during his season-long switch from Wolves to Middlesbrough in the summer of 2022.

12 assists (11 in the Championship) in 48 total appearances saw the left-back lead the second tier in assists for the 2022/23 season, with his wand of a left-foot being the architect behind some brilliant Boro goals that year.

Ever since he left the club, there's been somewhat of a lingering feeling that his Teesside tale isn't quite finished yet, a feeling that only grew stronger this summer when it emerged that both he and Middlesbrough were keen on a reunion.

That didn't materialise, but after failing to establish himself as a regular starter for Hull City so far this season, he may well feel as though he needs to seek an escape route from the MKM Stadium to get his career back on track.

It's fair to say that Carrick is the manager who's been able to extract the best out of Giles so far, and with none of his current left-back options yet to truly look like a convincing long-term answer, the Middlesbrough boss may well feel as though he needs reinforcements there in January.

Given his bit part role for the Tigers, his price-tag surely won't have increased from the summer. If anything, it may have fallen. His signature would fall into the category of low-risk, high-reward, as if Boro added the Giles of 2022/23 into their starting XI, a player of that quality could make all the difference in the promotion race.

Should Giles sign in January, that would leave Carrick with four clear senior left-back options, not including promising youngster George McCormick who's been sniffing around the first team this season.

With Neto Borges only being signed in the summer, he surely won't be on the chopping block in the new year. Alex Bangura has endured a highly frustrating time with injuries since his move to Teesside in September 2023, but when he's been on the pitch, he's shown flashes of a player who can make an impact.

The 25-year-old is, however, a player that Carrick has made no secret of his belief that he can become a key player in his side, and so will likely want to take an extended look at the Sierra Leone international upon his return from injury.

That just leaves Lukas Engel, and unfortunately for the Dane, Carrick has shown on numerous occasions by taking him out of the side and out of the firing line from his critics, that there perhaps isn't the necessary level of faith or trust in him from the Boro boss to see his Middlesbrough future secured for the long-term.

As such, a temporary loan switch until the end of the season could be a move that suits all parties. It would allow him the chance to impress his head coach, and would buy time for the club's decision makers to come to a final decision on perhaps a number of their left-backs in the summer.

Micah Hamilton finds loan move away

Patience has always been preached when it comes to Micah Hamilton and his performances in a Middlesbrough shirt, but his displays so far have evidenced just how raw and unrefined the former Manchester City winger still is.

That's to be expected given the fact he'd only made three senior appearances prior to his move to the Riverside in the summer, but with Boro looking to push for Premier League promotion in the second half of the season, Carrick will need to be able to call upon players he believes are ready to make an impact now.

Hamilton has all the hallmarks of a highly talented prospect who is in desperate need of regular first team football, and the January window will provide an ideal opportunity for him to go and seek that.

Middlesbrough have numerous options on the left flank to feel safe letting him leave and not sparking a crisis of numbers in that department, and he will surely relish the chance to go and show what he can do on a regular basis elsewhere in the second half of the term.

Louie Barry seals Middlesbrough move

Like with Giles and Engel, it could be one in and one out with Hamilton and Aston Villa starlet Louie Barry.

The 21-year-old has been tearing up League One whilst on loan at Stockport County so far this season, as he was already well into double-figure goals before the month of November was even out.

This scorching form appears to have made Villa's mind up over what to do with him in January, as it's understood that Unai Emery will recall the former Barcelona youngster to Villa Park, with the view of sending him back out on loan until the end of the season to a Championship side.

Middlesbrough are reported to be keen on bringing Barry to the Riverside, and should they do so, it would add another versatile and productive weapon to Boro's attack.

The youngster can operate as a centre-forward, in-behind the striker in an attacking midfield role, or even out on the wings, which will be music to Carrick's ears given the fact he's shown to really value versatility in players.

He's exactly the type of player the club have been targeting in regard to their transfer philosophy during Carrick's tenure, and would bolster their already high-powered attack even further.