Jimmy Dunne in: Middlesbrough can have the dream start to the January transfer window with these 2 deals | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at two transfers Boro could make that would signal a strong start to the upcoming winter window...

Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick will no doubt be hoping his Boro side come out of the upcoming January transfer window in an even stronger position to challenge for Premier League promotion in the second half of the season.

The Teessiders have spent the previous seven campaigns in the Championship after suffering relegation from the top flight back in 2017 and have gone agonisingly close to retaking their place among English football's elite on numerous occasions in that time.

However, since the arrival of Carrick in 2022 and Middlesbrough's head of football Kieran Scott in 2021 respectively, Boro have been largely excellent in how they've navigated the transfer market, with shrewd deals bringing a number of star players to the Riverside Stadium for relatively small fees.

As such, they have built a squad that is laden with highly talented players for Championship level and optimism is rife on Teesside that 2024/25 could be the campaign that finally brings to an end their Premier League exile.

In order to do that, Middlesbrough may need to have a successful winter window. Therefore, we've taken a look at two deals that Boro can make to kick off the January window.

3 Middlesbrough spot a bargain for QPR's star out-of-contract defender Jimmy Dunne

Whilst individual quality has been hard to come by at times in Queens Park Rangers' season so far, one player who's stood out in Marti Cifuentes' side is Irish defender Jimmy Dunne.

The 27-year-old has been a QPR player since the summer of 2021 and in that time, he's been one of the club's most consistent performers.

A versatile player who can operate as a central defender and as a right-back, Dunne has been excellent for the Hoops once again in the first half of this season and has proven himself to be a quality defender at Championship level.

However, his contract situation will be cause for growing fears around Loftus Road that the club might lose him for a reduced fee in January, as his current deal is set to expire in the summer.

Dunne revealed at the start of December that no conversations over a new deal have been held yet and that could provide fertile ground for a club like Middlesbrough to come in search of a bargain in the new year.

With Anfernee Dijksteel's contract also set to expire in the summer, as well as Tommy Smith's injury woes and Luke Ayling only contracted until the summer of 2026, the right-back spot could be an area that Carrick sees as one that needs strengthening in January.

Dunne has shown himself to be a classy performer in that role for QPR so far this term and may see a move to the Riverside as a better chance to play a big role in a promotion-chasing side.

2

A player who just hasn't been able to kick-start his Middlesbrough career for a number of reasons so far, Alex Gilbert looks to be a forward in desperate need of a loan move as soon as possible.

The former Irish youth international arrived on Teesside in the summer of 2023 and whether it's been through injury setbacks or a lack of opportunities handed to him, the attacking midfielder hasn't been able to get a run in the Boro side.

When he has been given the chance to impress by Carrick, he's largely taken it, with his one goal and three assists in just 226 minutes of Championship football in 2023/24 being a testament to that.

However, with the presence of Finn Azaz in the number 10 role, two high-class strikers in Tommy Conway and Emmanuel Latte Lath, and an abundance of options to choose from on the flanks, his pathway to regular Riverside minutes looks extremely tough this term.

With Middlesbrough needing to deregister a player from their maxed-out 25-man squad before they can sign a player over the age of 21 in January, Gilbert looks like a prime candidate for a winter loan move away from the club.

Securing a temporary exit to a bottom-half Championship side or perhaps a promotion-chasing League One outfit could give him the chance to really show Carrick what he can do, and perhaps give him the best chance to come back to the club in the summer ready to really stamp his authority on the starting XI.