Middlesbrough FC transfer prediction made beyond potential Louie Barry swoop | OneFootball

FLW's Middlesbrough fan pundit has had his say on the upcoming January window and what he expects from Michael Carrick and co.

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 in the race for promotion in the Championship and January's transfer window is just over a month away, which could be key to shaping the second-half of the campaign.

Boro are sat in fifth and battling for the play-offs again under Michael Carrick, who is now in his third season at the Riverside after being appointed in October 2022. Uncertainty over the playing squad in recent seasons has previously proven to be a hindrance and not helped them to get out of the blocks quickly in the Championship.

The last two seasons saw the club start poorly in terms of accruing points early on in the campaign, but with less churn and a top class manager in charge, there is obvious optimism after a faster and more positive start than previous years already.

The league table doesn't necessarily tell the whole story for his side this season, either. Boro have largely played well in the circumstances, but, obviously, the underlying data is only an indicator of the strength of a team's performance week-to-week and points will be what ultimately decides promotion.

However, the trend so far over a strong sample size is something to excite supporters, with Boro leading the way in terms of xG and chances created alongside Daniel Farke's Leeds United. Under Carrick, they are expected to be a side challenging for the play-offs, if not in and around the automatic promotion places, and such numbers will see them in the mix come May.

You would imagine that the eight or nine clubs realistically capable of finishing inside the Championship's top six, and especially those targeting an automatic finish, such as Sheffield United, Leeds United, Burnley, Boro, and Sunderland, will be identifying the January transfer window as a strong opportunity to source additional players required.

The verdict on Middlesbrough's spending in the January transfer window

The promotion race is already heating up and any extra edge in the transfer market is welcome. Ahead of the winter market opening, we asked FLW's Middlesbrough fan pundit Jasper Hudson for his thoughts on how much he expects his side to spend to strengthen their hand.

He said: "I don't see us particularly spending much money.

"I think the squad has been building for a while now under Carrick, and he's got it set in a place now.

"The obvious signing to add strength and depth looks to be Louie Barry on loan from Villa, and hopefully we can use our links there, having had [Cameron] Archer and [Aaron] Ramsey on loan and having sold Morgan Rogers to them.

"To bring Louie Barry in on the left as depth with [Riley] McGree might also let Micah Hamilton go out on loan. I don't see us signing anyone big, though.

"I think we have a great attack and a fantastic defence that all work well together. Our midfield is also good and I can't see us, at the minute, being in desperate need to buy a player to replace someone.

"I think loans can come in to strengthen us and add quality and depth, but in terms of an actual signing? I don't think we need one at all.

"The only area I can really think is at right-back, with [Anfernee] Dijksteel in and out of the team. His future was uncertain but he's now staying at the club. He's been decent when he plays and Luke Ayling hasn't been as good as last year.

"I think that's a disappointment and he's getting old. Should an option come up for a right-back, who Kieran Scott and Carrick both like, then I think we'd be tempted to spend some money there.

"However, unless we get a departure of a [Emmanuel] Latte Lath, an [Finn] Azaz, or someone else like that where we get big money, would we spend big money to replace them.

"As of right now, we don't need to, but what happens in January with our squad will dictate whether we need to spend.

"I think the feeling at the club is this is a good year, we're playing well at the minute, and there is a lot of hope going into January. Hopefully, we can keep it up through December and then, should we need investment, that will be given.

"That's due to the nature of the season and how good we look like doing."

What they do in the loan market still has a part to play, with Premier League clubs making fringe players available late on in the window. That is an area that Boro will look to exploit to give them a squad capable of attacking the very summit of the second tier table.

Middlesbrough were excellent at making the most of the loan market two seasons ago, having signed the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Ryan Giles, and Cameron Archer. Though they have a strong squad, there are a few more gaps to fill out. Should they target anything between now and the end of the window, it should be a more dynamic and athletic pair of younger full-backs.

That said, there is still every reason to think that this Boro side could jump up the table from eighth to the play-offs at the very least, even without major squad surgery next month. And, with the top of the division looking a little less strong, there is no reason why their ambitions could not take them into an automatic promotion race.

Providing they can retain crucial players in the window and also have a little more luck on their side in terms of injuries as well, Carrick's side could gatecrash the teams at the top with the advantage of parachute payments.