Millwall are laughing from £5m Middlesbrough agreement - Kim Hellberg needs him | OneFootball

Middlesbrough could do with Josh Coburn in their ranks right now, having sold the forward to Millwall in the summer

Middlesbrough have fallen some way off league leaders Coventry City in recent weeks, though Kim Hellberg's side remain well within contention for one of those two automatic places come May.

Just a few weeks ago, it looked like the Championship title race was going to go down to the wire, with Middlesbrough and Coventry neck-and-neck at the second-tier summit.

However, whilst Coventry have undergone a strong run of form as of late, Boro have won just two of their last eight league games, and as a result, find themselves nine points off the Sky Blues, with each of Ipswich Town, Millwall, and Hull City breathing down their necks.

Creating chances has not been a particular problem on Teesside this season, but finding the back of the net has, with only Millwall in the league's top seven having scored fewer than their 59 goals.

Hellberg outlined his discontent with his side's attack during the January transfer window, bringing in Jeremy Sarmiento and Leo Castledine, whilst allowing Delano Burgzorg to leave.

Tommy Conway has more often than not been the preferred choice as the club's main centre-forward option, and though his off-the-ball work has been lauded, his eight goals and four assists have flattered to deceive.

Another striker option wouldn't have gone amiss at Boro, and Hellberg may be wondering why the club agreed to part ways with one particular player in the summer.

Middlesbrough sold Josh Coburn to Millwall for £5m in the summer window

The summer transfer window saw Middlesbrough collect upwards of £25 million worth of sales of players, with the likes of Finn Azaz, Rav van den Berg, and Josh Coburn leaving the club.

Coburn, having spent time in the youth ranks of North-East rivals Sunderland, joined Middlesbrough in 2019 and progressed to the club's first team, with a solid loan spell at Bristol Rovers helping him stake a claim at the Riverside.

However, the striker would struggle to nail down a place under Michael Carrick and joined Millwall on loan for the 2024/25 season, where he scored just five goals in 20 league appearances.

Despite this, Alex Neil's side were happy to break their transfer record and part ways with upwards of £5 million to bring Coburn back to The Den the following summer, in a move which is yet to have truly paid off, but has shown promise.

Alongside Mihailo Ivanovic, Coburn has been a regular in the side whenever fit. However, a major quad injury has disrupted his campaign and limited him to just 20 league appearances thus far.

Having returned to the side as of late, the 23-year-old has shown glimpses of his ability in front of goal, with three goals in his last four games, including important strikes against Derby County and Ipswich Town.

His equaliser away to Ipswich was a significant one in the hunt for automatic promotion, keeping Millwall within touching distance of the top two, whilst helping Boro maintain second place for now.

Coburn could well continue to have a huge say in the promotion, but instead of it being for Middlesbrough's benefit, it's Millwall's, as Hellberg may be wondering why he was ever sold in the first place.

Kim Hellberg could do with someone like Josh Coburn at Middlesbrough right now

With Middlesbrough having lost ground in the race for automatic promotion, an out-and-out goalscorer in the side wouldn't go amiss for Hellberg right now.

Although goals have been chipped in around the side, with seven players having scored four or more goals, Boro lack a consistent goal threat in their ranks, with top scorer Morgan Whittaker having not found the back of the net since January.

At this stage in the season, where every point could make the difference, Boro simply cannot afford to be dropping points at the frequency at which they have in recent weeks, and must find a way to hit the back of the net more regularly.

They lack the sort of profile which Coburn offers — a more physical presence up front, willing to get in behind defences, with Boro preferring to create openings in the opposition area and remain more patient in build-up.

Whilst this has its benefits, sometimes simplicity prevails, and lacking that forward option that can get in behind, hold the ball up, and capitalise on high back lines may come back to bite Hellberg should they miss out on promotion.

With the automatic places set to go down until the final weeks, there is everything to play for, and whilst Middlesbrough