Middlesbrough should ruin Watford’s transfer plans despite Kyle Joseph deal | OneFootball

Middlesbrough should look to sign Luca Kjerrumgaard under the noses of Watford this summer despite Kyle Joseph swoop

Middlesbrough have made no secret of their intentions of adding strength and depth at the top end of the pitch this summer, as Kim Hellberg looks to ensure similar mistakes aren’t made next season after last year’s collapse.

Middlesbrough suffered a hugely disappointing end to the campaign last time around, but optimism ought to remain high on Teesside despite this.

In Kim Hellberg, Boro have one of the best head coaches in the Championship, with the Swede replacing Rob Edwards at the helm at the Riverside in November, with his introduction culminating in some of the best football, from a neutral standpoint, the second tier has ever seen.

Unfortunately for Boro, they could not turn this into three points often enough, slipping away from the automatic promotion places and ultimately losing out in the play-off final to Hull City, confirming their place in the second tier for a tenth consecutive year.

Hellberg will be just about as keen as anyone to ensure that Boro doesn’t meet a similar fate next time around, and has already made intentions of bringing in attacking recruits clear to support Tommy Conway, Morgan Whittaker, and David Strelec up top, and should consider scuppering a division rival’s move for a towering centre-forward.

Middlesbrough should ruin Watford’s transfer plans by making a move for Danish striker Luca Kjerrumgaard

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Middlesbrough have completed the signing of Hull forward Kyle Joseph, with the former Wigan Athletic forward switching to the Riverside in a deal worth a potential £5 million after a deal had initially stalled.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa forward Lewis Dobbin has also been linked with a move to the Riverside, having scored ten and assisted eight in 39 league games on loan at Preston North End last season, though they face competition for his signature from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Southampton.

As Hellberg targets attacking reinforcements, a different option up top for Conway and the incoming Joseph could prove to be the difference-maker for Boro, as Hellberg should aim to bring in fellow Scandinavian Luca Kjerrumgaard this summer.

Kjerrumgaard, 22, came through the youth ranks at Odense, and would have spells on loan with both Nykobing and Staebak to varying degrees of success before exploding into life during the 2024/25 campaign.

The Dane, who stands at a mighty six feet five inches, hit 22 goals and seven assists in 28 league games in the Danish top flight, leading Udinese to part ways with around around €5 million (£4.2 million) in the summer of 2025, before sending him immediately out on loan to the Championship with Watford.

With the Hornets, Kjerrumgaard struggled to consistently find the back of the net in England’s second tier, and possibly fell victim to the chopping and changing in the dugout at Vicarage Road, with each of Paulo Pezzolano, Javi Gracia, and Edward Still taking the reins at the club last season to varying degrees of success.

Despite this, the 23-year-old was regularly selected ahead of Mamadou Doumbia and Vivaldo Semedo up top, and still managed to hit ten goals and grab one assist in 43 league appearances in his debut season at the club.

As a result, Watford have made their intentions of bringing the Dane back once more, this time under Alessio Dionisi, with the club in talks with Udinese over a potential return.

The Pozzo family own both Watford and Udinese, making negotiations between the two sides somewhat easier, with the likes of Gerard Deulofeu, Roberto Pereyra, Ben Wilmot, Isaac Success, and, more recently, James Abankwah, Saba Goglichidze, and Giorgi Chakvetadze transferring between the two clubs.

Despite this, Boro should test the waters with a move for Kjerrumgaard, who Transfermarkt value at around €8 million, and would add a completely different dimension to their attack.

For a player of his stature, it’s no surprise that he excels in the air, with the Dane winning 146 aerial duels across last campaign, whilst his off-the-ball work is also exemplary, making 75 defensive contributions and 54 clearances too, as per FotMob.

Ten goals from an expected goal return of 7.44 is nothing elite, though it does suggest he has a clinical touch about him, and should he be provided the freedom and confidence to express himself up top in England’s second tier, he could thrive.

With Boro preferring to play through the press under Hellberg, having Kjerrumgaard as an option up top to go long when necessary wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world, and capable of playing alongside or deputising for either Conway or Joseph, the Dane could be an excellent addition at the Riverside, and one Middlesbrough would be remiss at not attempting to secure.

Kim Hellberg could do with a different option up top at Middlesbrough and should consider Luca Kjerrumgaard

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Though Delano Burgzorg provided a different option up front for Boro last season, his departure to Bristol City in January indicated Hellberg’s preference for a different type of centre-forward.

Conway was an ever-present under the Swede, but with four of his 13 goals in the league coming from the penalty spot, whether he can be the man to fire Boro to the Premier League remains to be seen.

Kjerrumgaard is capable of playing in a more direct system, just as he is capable of playing in a more patient system, and his addition to the squad would give Hellberg a different way of playing if the status quo isn’t working.

He won’t come cheap, and beating Watford to the punch won’t be easy, but Middlesbrough must try their luck regardless for a player who could transform their fortunes.