"Ready for a Championship move" - Middlesbrough player tipped for summer transfer exit on one condition | OneFootball

The forward could be in line for a summer departure from The Riverside

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…

The situation regarding Josh Coburn’s future at Middlesbrough is a fascinating one this summer, with the young striker starting to find his feet at the Riverside.

The 21-year-old featured 21 times for Michael Carrick’s side during the previous Championship campaign, and netted five times as he continues to stake his claim for a regular spot in the Boro starting lineup.

With the sensational form of Emmanuel Latte Lath to compete with, the forward had to bide his time on the sidelines during much of the season, having been on the cusp of departing the club for Plymouth Argyle in the previous summer transfer window.

12 months on, and the situation seems to be much the same for the former Bristol Rovers loanee, with the pros and cons of a season-long loan away from Teesside sure to be mulled over as August draws ever closer.

Josh Coburn's Middlesbrough future needs addressing ahead of 2024/25 Championship campaign

Coburn was keen to make the most of his sporadic time on the pitch for Boro last season, with his first goal of the campaign earning his side all three points in a 3-2 victory over Watford at Vicarage Road.

A brace against keen admirers Argyle followed in November, as he showed the Devon side what they missed out on after a mooted loan move stalled, before further strikes against Huddersfield Town and Coventry City during the festive period.

Injuries prevented the young frontman from featuring past February for Carrick’s side, and FLW's Boro fan pundit Phil Spencer believes the 21-year-old faces a big crossroads in his career in the coming weeks.

Phil told Football League World.

“He played a decent number of games in the first-half of the season, and then injury took over. He suffered a hernia, and that gave Emmanuel Latte Lath the opportunity to make that starting spot his own.

“Going into this summer, Latte Lath is going to be the key man in attack, we play with just the one striker so he’s going to be the main man.

“Middlesbrough are also looking to sign another striker over the course of the summer, and I think it’s that arrival that will really decide what happens with Josh Coburn.

“As far as I’m concerned, should Middlesbrough not sign another striker, I think Josh Coburn is more than capable of playing a supporting role to Emmanuel Latte Lath.

“He wouldn’t be a regular starter, but he would certainly get a good amount of game time, and he would be a good player to bring off the bench, or to rotate as the season unfolds.”

Middlesbrough transfer business could decide Josh Coburn’s future

Carrick has already made waves in the transfer market this summer, with the former Manchester United man bringing attacking reinforcements to The Riverside.

Delano Burgzorg’s arrival from German outfit Mainz will add another threat in the final third for the upcoming campaign, with the Dutchman making a permanent move to England after featuring for Huddersfield Town in the previous campaign.

Spencer though believes another addition in the striker department could open the door for Coburn’s departure this summer, although that could be for both player and club’s long-term benefit.

Having scored ten goals in 35 League One games for Bristol Rovers in the 22/23 campaign, Phil thinks a step up in quality could be what Coburn needs to progress his career in the 12 months to come.

“If Middlesbrough bring in another player - whether that’s on loan or on a permanent basis - I think that could pave the way for Josh Coburn to leave this summer, albeit on a loan deal," Phil continued.

“I think it would be really important to make sure that the loan move is the right one for him, because I think what he needs is a full season under his belt. A full season of playing 50 games in league and cup to really kick on and develop his experience in the EFL.

“From my point of view, I think he’s ready for a Championship move, I think he’s too good to be playing in League One, so I think it’s right that he would be challenging himself in the Championship.

“So you could probably look at the bottom half of the league as a potential target destination, whether Plymouth Argyle would come back in for him as a potential option, that could be a good move for him. But certainly I think he’s capable of playing week in, week out in the Championship.

“If he does that I can definitely see him coming back to Middlesbrough next summer as a more complete player, and really challenging for a starting role in the team moving forward."