Middlesbrough pipped Birmingham City to transfer - Chris Davies won’t be losing sleep | OneFootball

Middlesbrough beat Birmingham City to the loan capture of Jeremy Sarmiento this January

Middlesbrough remain in strong contention for a place in the automatic promotion spots come the end of the season, despite a defeat to league leaders Coventry City and a goalless draw at home to struggling Oxford United in their last two outings.

It's so far, so good for Middlesbrough, who, with just 13 games to go, find themselves in the automatic promotion places, behind only Frank Lampard's Coventry side.

Swedish boss Kim Hellberg has taken the reins at The Riverside following Rob Edwards' departure to Premier League outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers, and if anything, Boro have gotten better.

With Boro, Edwards managed 16 games, and was averaging 1.81 points per game, whilst Hellberg, having also managed 16 games at this stage, is averaging 2 points per game, with the Swede having a far superior goals scored record over the Welshman.

Despite this, Hellberg seemingly wasn't completely sold on his attacking options heading into January, and found himself in a hotly contested battle with Championship rivals Birmingham City for the signature of a winger who, at 23, already has two promotions to the Premier League on his CV.

Middlesbrough beat Birmingham City to the signature of Jeremy Sarmiento in January

Despite boasting the likes of Morgan Whittaker, Tommy Conway, David Strelec, Kaly Sene, and Sontje Hansen, Hellberg clearly wasn't fully content with the options at his disposal and sought after Brighton winger Jeremy Sarmiento.

The Ecuadorian had spent the first half of the campaign on loan in Italy with Cremonese, but after less than 150 minutes of league football, was recalled to the South Coast ahead of another potential exit.

Boro registered an interest in the winger, but faced competition from division rivals Birmingham City, who were also looking to bolster their attacking options ahead of a promotion push.

Negotiations between the two clubs and Brighton went back and forth for several weeks, with a permanent deal to the Blues and then to Boro being discussed.

Sarmiento is no stranger to the Championship, having played for both Burnley and Ipswich Town previously in the second tier, earning promotion with both.

However, it would be Boro who would get their noses across the line to secure the signature of Sarmiento on loan until the end of the season, after being unable to agree a permanent switch.

Since making the move to the Riverside, the Ecuadorian international has yet to have made an impact, playing four times and starting just once in their most recent goalless draw at home to Oxford, albeit he did strike the post in their 3-1 away defeat to Coventry City.

Hellberg has admitted that Sarmiento is still getting back up to full fitness after a long period of not playing whilst in Italy, saying, "He’s been given that time that he needed, after not playing much football. The 25 minutes (against Coventry) was very, very good, which means he’s further ahead.

"He’s getting there, and then we’ll see. We will need him. It’s 14 games left, and we will need him, he has to play a big part in this, like many other players.

"He’s starting to get ready to start, yes."

Sarmiento will likely feature more as the season reaches the closing stages, though Birmingham will likely have few regrets after missing out on him this winter for one clear reason.

Chris Davies and Birmingham City won't be too upset after missing out on Jeremy Sarmiento after January haul

Indeed, Birmingham missed out on the signature of Sarmiento to Middlesbrough, though the Blues won't be too bothered with the way things panned out.

Having seen their offer for the Ecuadorian fall short, Davies' side looked elsewhere, and completed deals for fellow Brighton winger Ibrahim Osman on loan and a permanent swoop for Deportivo Alaves winger Carlos Vicente.

Both have caught the eye since their moves to St Andrews, with Vicente in particular showing glimpses of his immense quality from the right flank.

With Sarmiento yet up to full fitness and Birmingham in desperate need of points, they likely couldn't have waited around much for him to reach match fitness, so things may have worked out perfectly for the Blues.

With both Demarai Gray and Patrick Roberts as other options, Birmingham have one of the best wide attacking talents in the division, something which Davies must utilise if they are to secure a top six finish this campaign.

Sarmiento, meanwhile, will likely play a telling role in the outcome of Boro's season, and will be hoping to make a third promotion from the Championship in his young career.