Middlesbrough and Michael Carrick will be concerned by Emmanuel Latte Lath reveal: View | OneFootball

FLW assess Emmanuel Latte Lath's start to the season for Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough side.

Emmanuel Latte Lath is one of the best strikers in the Championship, but the Middlesbrough forward has lacked his clinical edge in 2024/25 so far.

He signed for Middlesbrough last season on a four-year contract with the club, plus the option of a further year, and his good form meant Boro headed into this summer full of optimism, given how the 2023/24 season ended.

It appears his form and quality last season has caught the eye of clubs across Europe, as Tutto Mercato Web has claimed that Wolves, Salzburg, Stuttgart, and Monaco have all shown an interest in the player. The update added that the most serious interest came from Monaco.

Ipswich Town reportedly made a late-window move but no deal materialised with any top-flight sides for an individual who had become arguably their most pivotal figure, at least outside of Michael Carrick, and much of their promotion hopes this season will hinge on whether the Ivorian can replicate his form.

Latte Lath's importance to Middlesbrough

The 25-year-old forward is capable of playing as a striker or wide forward but was predominantly utilised as a number-nine in attack to become the club's star man in attack during the second half of the campaign following his move from Italian giants Atalanta last summer.

He struggled to break through into the Serie A outfit's first-team, and was sent on various loan spells, the best of which came with Swiss outfit St. Gallen last season. His permanent move to Boro was claimed by Di Marzio that the initial fee would be €5 million (£4.3 million), with an extra €1.5 million (£1.3 million) in performance-related add-ons that could be met in the future.

He has since proven to be worth that fee and more, as an athletic and powerful frontman, and one who is highly capable of spearheading the Middlesbrough attack. He may have taken his time last year, but he came to life after initially enduring a slow start under Carrick, where he had to overcome various injuries and adapt to the physicality of the English game.

He made just 11 appearances before March 2024, with concerns arising that Boro would have to enter the striker market again in the summer for a proven centre-forward, despite Latte Lath showing flashes of brilliance in the first half of the campaign, including a brace against Leeds at Elland Road.

However, coming back from injury then saw a huge upturn in form for Latte Lath. The striker notched 12 goals or assists in the last 14 games of the campaign in the Championship, including another brace against Leeds in a 4-3 defeat at the back end of the season.

Carrick, Latte Lath, and all those connected with Middlesbrough were hoping that he would take his form from last year into the current season to fire them up towards a promotion push. There are very few proven goalscorers in the division, but he shown himself to be one and merited the summer interest in his services.

Boro and Latte Lath's issue so far in 2024/25

With four wins, two draws and three defeats from their nine league outings so far, putting them 12th in the current standings, this has certainly been a mixed start to the campaign for Middlesbrough.

One individual player at The Riverside Stadium who has perhaps embodied that pretty accurately so far, is Latte Lath. Both he and the club are perhaps lacking some sharpness in front of goal, with both underperforming in terms of their actual goals tally when compared to xG.

Carrick's men would be higher up the table had they been more clinical in front of goal, and the fact that Latte Lath, who scored 18 goals last season, has since only found the back of the net once will be a cause for concern but the underperformance revealed by the data may be even more of a worry.

Per FotMob, his 3.33 xG for the season highlights their ability to consistently find him in decent shooting positions on a regular basis, but the one goal came against Swansea on the opening day of the season. He has lacked that cutting edge and ruthlessness in front of goal from last year.

His ability off the shoulder and in behind, as well as his lateral box movement, are key features of his game. They do not appear to be an issue, as Latte Lath is seventh in the division in terms of the amount of xG he has accumulated overall, according to FotMob.

It's possible that the summer interest from the likes of Ipswich and Wolves could be playing a part. However, to his credit, the striker has since insisted that he is fully committed to playing for Middlesbrough, but it would perhaps not be a surprise if it is somewhat impacting his goalscoring performance.

He showcased a ruthlessness in front of goal last season, which is currently deserting him.

The positive for Boro is that they are still creating plenty of chances, and with the likes of Latte Lath, Tommy Conway, Delano Burgzorg, and Marcus Forss in the squad, Carrick has a host of dangerous alternative attacking options at his disposal.

But there can be no doubt that Latte Lath's underperformance against his xG and what it reveals about the goalscoring form of the Teessiders' star striker, will be a cause for concern for those in the stands and the dugout at The Riverside.