"Would be a disaster" - Middlesbrough FC: Steve Gibson urged to avoid transfer decision on £4.5m man | OneFootball

FLW's Boro fan pundit believes it is vital that Tommy Conway stays at the club this summer

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...

Young forward Tommy Conway has been picked out as the main player that Middlesbrough need to keep hold of in the upcoming summer transfer window following his impressive form in his maiden campaign at the club.

Boro's season reached a disappointing conclusion over the weekend, as they lost 2-0 to fellow top-six contenders Coventry City and missed out on a Championship play-off berth for the second campaign running under Michael Carrick.

Despite their frustration as a club, Conway will be pleased with how his first term on Teesside has panned out on a personal level, after he made a highly-anticipated £4.5 million move to the club from Bristol City last summer. He has impressed supporters with his finishing and all-round game, and it is pivotal that they retain his services ahead of next season.

Middlesbrough: "Disaster" verdict issued on potential Tommy Conway sale this summer

Conway emerged through Bristol City's youth ranks to become a first-team regular in the 2022/23 season. He was the club's top scorer in all competitions last term, netting 12 goals, but was put up for sale in the summer amid his reluctance to sign a new deal at Ashton Gate.

He soon made the move to Boro in mid-August, and has been one of their standout performers in his debut campaign at the Riverside Stadium, with 13 goals and one assist in 36 Championship appearances.

Michael Carrick has numerous players at his disposal that would fetch a sizeable fee if they were to be sold on in the upcoming summer window. Conway is one of those, alongside the likes of Aiden Morris and Hayden Hackney, who has been linked with a move to FC Porto and Stuttgart.

The Teessiders will undoubtedly want to keep hold of all of their key players as they look to mount another play-off challenge next season, but FLW's Boro fan pundit, Jasper Hudson, has picked out Conway as the main man whose services they need to retain due to his potential to improve even further in the years to come.

“Not wanting to lose a player this summer comes down to transfer fees, I think," Jasper told FLW.

“There are three players that have stepped forward and have proved that they are very good, and almost too good to be missed. That is Hayden Hackney, Tommy Conway and Aiden Morris.

“I think, of those, Conway and Morris would be the most missed. I’d probably edge it to Conway, as losing a striker again would be a disaster.

“If you lose both of your starting midfielders, that would also be a big loss. I think Hackney could go for a big fee, and that wouldn’t be bad business.

“I think Conway…there is a lot of prospect, hype and potential going into next season, so it would be a shame to lose him.”

Michael Carrick has praised Conway's impact at Boro - it would take a sizeable fee for him to leave soon

Conway's goal return is definitely respectable for a striker in their first season at a new club, and even more so considering that he was playing second-fiddle to Emmanuel Latte Lath for the first-half of the campaign, while he made 27 league starts from a possible 46 games, all-in-all.

The 22-year-old was probably helped on a personal level by Latte Lath's January departure to Atlanta United, as he started up-front in each of the club's last 15 league games of the season, and was able to notch five goals and one assist in that period.

Michael Carrick has had his doubters at the Riverside Stadium for Boro's failure to finish in the top-six in consecutive campaigns, but any future success he may enjoy at the club will hinge on keeping hold of players like Conway, and he clearly knows as such, after he heaped praise on him last week for how he had adapted to life at the club since joining last summer.

"He's done really well. It’s been a big season for Tommy, in a new environment with new expectations. He’s played a lot of football and is dealing with a high level of expectation from himself as well," Carrick told the Northern Echo.

"It’s a hell of a learning curve changing clubs, and he’s adapted ever so well. Early in the season, with Manu in particular, the two of them were coming in and out at times and he dealt with that ever so well.

"Now he’s playing a little longer and getting a bit more consistency in terms of games. He’s a great character. He cares a lot and takes a lot on his shoulders. He’s desperate to do well and has a great way of going about it.

"He’s bubbling around the place the whole time. He’s a joy to be around. He’s the kind of player you enjoy being around and want more of that type around the squad.

"The positivity and enjoyment - you’ve got to be able to smile at times and love what you do. He certainly does that and he’s a big part of the group."

Conway will now be recuperating after a long, hard season, and while he is likely to be on the radar of certain clubs this summer, a move away from Middlesbrough does feel unlikely after just one term.

Boro are likely to want, at the very least, double the fee they paid Bristol City for his services last August, which could well put potentially interested sides off a move, and so supporters at the Riverside Stadium can surely rest safe in the knowledge that he will still be at the club come the start of 2025/26.