"A bit of worry" - Reaction given as West Ham eye Middlesbrough ace Emmanuel Latte Lath | OneFootball

The striker has been linked with a move to the Hammers in January.

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...

Emmanuel Latte Lath was the subject of a lot of interest from the Premier League in the summer, and the upcoming January transfer window may just see him targeted once again.

The 25-year-old had a difficult start to the 2024/25 campaign, despite scoring the winner for his team on the opening weekend against Swansea City, amid a flurry of interest from Ipswich Town.

However, after finding the back of the net against Sheffield United in October, the Ivorian has been excellent, scoring another five times since, and he has started to look much more like his usual self. A hat-trick against Oxford United last time out summed up just how strong he has been in recent weeks, and he has helped fire his team back into the play-off places.

However, this improvement in form has come at a cost for Middlesbrough, with West Ham United reportedly keeping a keen eye on the striker, and there will be fears circulating the Riverside Stadium in the coming months that he will move on.

Verdict made on Latte Lath, West Ham links

While they are only 16 games into the season, it has already been a tail of two halves for Boro, with their early inconsistencies the only thing stopping them from being in the current chase for automatic promotion.

But Michael Carrick's side's form since October has been tremendous, and they have established themselves as one of the several sides in the hunt for a play-off place come May, although they are showing signs that they could push for much more.

Nevertheless, any potential loss of Latte Lath could derail that push.

Football League World's Middlesbrough Fan Pundit, Jasper Hudson, was asked if he believes any bids will come in for the striker in January, to which he replied: "Good players are always going to attract attention, that's just part of football and there's very few Championship strikers better than Latte Lath, I think.

"He had his struggles at the start to the season, but he's really bounced back, and he's been top class since he's been back in the goals. His performance bagging a hat-trick against Oxford and he's back leading the line, showing his quality and he's really impressive and that's always going to be an issue.

"It's always going to make him a name that top clubs want to sign, so, there's always a bit of worry. You never want to lose good players in January, it can be a crucial moment of the season. However, I'm not entirely sure about the links to West Ham.

"There was the summer rumour of him going to Ipswich and trying to force a move and a bit of drama around the club with that deal, but we're in a very different position now, especially with him as to where we are or where we were in the summer. So, it's just a case of I think we need to wait and see what happens in January, where the team will be."

Jasper continued: "Again, I think it's similar to Michael Carrick, and if we look like a team that could go up, I don't see a reason why he wouldn't stay here. Obviously, you want to play in the Premier League, I get that, and you don't always get another opportunity if you turn it down.

"With West Ham, I'm not sure where he would start, how he would fit in, and obviously it depends on what happens at West Ham with the manager who they bring in. If they sack Lopetegui, if they keep him, as to what sort of striker they want.

"It is a bit worrying because he's our best striker, but we've got a very good backup in Tommy Conway, and I'm not 100% sure he'd leave. I think it's very 50:50, up in the air, and you just won't know until closer to the time, because circumstances will change if he goes on a poor run and doesn't score in the next 10 games and all the transfer interest is going to be taken off him."

Latte Lath would be a huge miss for Middlesbrough

While it was a difficult start to the season, his performance against Oxford was a true indicator as to what he brings to the table at Middlesbrough.

He was near-perfect at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday, picking up an assist to go alongside his treble of goals as Boro put six past The U's in reply to the home side's two.

The 25-year-old was a constant threat in the box, and he caused problems for his opponents constantly before he was brought off just after the hour mark to a standing ovation from his own supporters.

Losing that level of talent would be a critical hit for Middlesbrough in January, and they cannot afford to allow their star striker to leave the Riverside without finding a replacement with similar talents. However, it is hard to see West Ham taking the risk of signing a player that has not proven himself at that level before.