Kim Hellberg should plot transfer swoop for ex-Middlesbrough winger - on one condition | OneFootball

Middlesbrough should look to bring back Jack Harrison to the club this summer if they secure promotion

Middlesbrough are looking to end their stay in the Championship when they travel to St Mary's on Tuesday night, hoping to leave the south coast by booking a trip to Wembley.

Had you told any Middlesbrough fan at the start of the season that they would be one game away from Wembley and potentially just two away from the Premier League, almost all of them would have bitten your hands off.

However, at one stage, it looked like it could have been even better for the Teesside outfit, going toe-to-toe with Coventry City for long stretches of the campaign in the top two, only to fall away at the final stages, with Ipswich Town capitalising on their poor run of form to go up instead.

A two-legged affair with Southampton in the play-offs stands between them and Wembley; with the first leg having ended 0-0, Kim Hellberg's side must make the long journey to Hampshire on Tuesday and leave with nothing but victory.

Plans for the summer window will be on hold at the moment, as Boro wait to see their fate, and should they indeed end their stay in the second tier with promotion, Middlesbrough should look to make a return for a former winger who finds himself at a career crossroads.

Middlesbrough should look to sign Jack Harrison this summer if promotion to the Premier League is secured

If Middlesbrough indeed find themselves as a Premier League club next season, it goes without saying that there will need to be a huge turnover of players at the Riverside.

Whilst they undoubtedly have one of the most talented squads in the Championship, how many of those that can make the jump to the top flight and have a positive impact is unclear.

There is also a severe lack of Premier League experience in their ranks, especially if Matt Targett doesn't sign permanently, with Luke Ayling, 34, the only other player in their squad to have played regularly in England's highest tier.

Hellberg should look to remedy that with the addition of Leeds United winger and Ayling's former teammate, Jack Harrison.

Harrison has amassed 25 goals and 20 assists in 181 Premier League games to date with the likes of Leeds and Everton, though, having fallen out of favour under Daniel Farke, the winger joined Serie A strugglers Fiorentina in January on loan for the remainder of the campaign.

La Viola reportedly have a £6 million option to buy the Englishman, but have seemingly already decided to opt against bringing him to Italy permanently, despite one goal and three assists in 13 league games.

West Ham United's 1-0 loss to Arsenal on Sunday confirmed Leeds' place in the top flight for another season, and with Harrison set to return to Yorkshire this summer, his time at Elland Road appears to be uncertain, and he could well have played his last game for the club.

Harrison spent just four games on loan for Boro during the 2017/18 season from Manchester City, failing to make an impression on Teesside, having previously emerged as an exciting talent in the MLS with New York City FC.

Now, some eight years on, Middlesbrough should look to bring Harrison back to the club, where he is undoubtedly a better and more experienced player, and would provide an excellent wide option for Hellberg.

Kim Hellberg must target Premier League experience in case of Middlesbrough's promotion

If Middlesbrough were to be promoted, the lack of Premier League experience around the club must be addressed.

Whilst both Coventry's Frank Lampard and Ipswich's Kieran McKenna have varying degrees of top-flight experience of their own, Hellberg does not, and whilst experience does not count for everything, in this instance, the Swede is certainly at a disadvantage.

Bringing in players who have the quality to play in the Premier League, as well as the experience of having done so, will be imperative for Boro if they are to give themselves the best possible chance of survival.

Harrison would provide just that, and given his versatility, capable of playing on either flank, paired with his work rate, he is someone who could thrive under Hellberg.