Middlesbrough player tipped for January transfer exit – “I’m shocked” he’s still at Boro | OneFootball

FLW’s Boro fan pundit has urged the club to part ways with Micah Hamilton in January.

During the elongated international break, Middlesbrough find themselves in a very promising position under Kim Hellberg.

Following their 2-2 draw with Birmingham City in their last league outing, it leaves the Teesside outfit third in the standings, taking 15 points from their opening eight league matches and narrowly outside the automatic promotion places on goal difference.

Four victories, three draws and just one defeat so far this season mean Boro are likely to be in the promotion hunting pack come the end of this season, aiming to avenge the heartbreak of last term when they lost in the play-off final to Hull City.

When domestic action returns in a couple of weeks' time, Boro will be hopeful of remaining towards the summit heading into the January transfer window, which will give the club another chance to bolster the squad and improve key positions that can keep their promotion push intact.

And while most supporters will be fixated on what players come in, there’s also an onus on the club to sanction player exits to ensure Hellberg has a balanced number of options to choose from that can cope with the relentless of the division.

With this in mind, FLW’s Middlesbrough fan pundit has named one player who they believe will depart the Riverside Stadium in January after failing to do so in the summer.

Middlesbrough backed to sell Micah Hamilton during January transfer window

Speaking to Football League World, Middlesbrough fan pundit Liam Day has urged Boro to part ways with Micah Hamilton during the January transfer window, admitting he is “shocked” to still see the ex-Manchester City star at the Riverside Stadium after failing to live up to his reported £3.5m price tag.

Liam told FLW: “I’m shocked Micah Hamilton is still at the club, and I think that’s pretty much down to the fact no one knows his current ability.

“It very much seemed like we were trying to force him out almost, and we just don’t want him anywhere near us, but after failing to get rid of him (this summer), there are obviously no clubs that really want him.

“Obviously, he’s not played much since he’s come in, he’s gone out on a few loans and not done anything, so I think there’s something quite wrong with him as he came in with so much hype and fallen short of expectations.

“He’ll be desperate to get his career going again, and I think there’ll be a few clubs in January that might take a punt on him, and I hope they do.

“It’s quite unfortunate when a young player's career goes like this, but there’s still time and I hope he finds a move.”

Micah Hamilton’s woes at Middlesbrough

It’s been two years since Manchester City prodigy Micah Hamilton swapped the Etihad Stadium for the Riverside in a £3.5m deal, hoping to emulate the story of Morgan Rogers, who too made the same switch and was a great success in such a short period of time.

But it’s been the polar opposite in Hamilton’s case, with the 22-year-old struggling to nail down any sort of regular starting spot.

In his debut 2024-25 campaign, he featured 13 times for Boro, then being sent out on loan to League One outfit Stockport County in the winter, but that ended up being a disastrous move as he only played five times for the Hatters in the second half of that campaign.

The following season, Hamilton registered just four appearances in the Championship back at Middlesbrough, while this term, he is yet to play a single minute of second tier action, but continues to remain on the books until January at least.

Micah Hamilton, Middlesbrough exit suits all parties

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It’s a tough moment in the early stage of Micah Hamilton’s career, who, over the last two years, hasn’t been playing regular football, while his inability to hit the ground running at Middlesbrough in the first place has clearly damaged his confidence levels.

It seems like this is a move destined not to work out, and with little signs of improvement given his lack of gametime once again this season, Hamilton needs to be sold in January to help him get his career back on track.

With a stint in League One going far from according to plan, he may have to set his sights on going down to the fourth tier, with regular football what he needs now more than anything else to give him a chance of getting back to the promising levels he showed at Manchester City.

Given the potential he still holds and the fact he’s been a former England U20 international, there’s surely enough of a background there for some clubs to take a gamble on securing his services, and it seems in the best interests of everybody that this gets done as early as possible into the new year.

With Middlesbrough having no intention of using him and Hamilton requiring a fresh start in his career, the club has to make this a priority sale when the January window opens, with both parties surely keen on ending such a disappointing association.