Middlesbrough have had a very productive transfer window so far this season. They have brought in eight new players already. Middlesbrough have also broken their transfer record this summer signing Britt Assombalonga from Nottingham Forest for £15 million.
However, despite eight new arrivals, Middlesbrough do not seem to be stopping in the transfer window anytime soon.
The latest player Boro are looking at is Jota from fellow Championship club Brentford. According to reports, Monk is very keen on Jota. But Middlesbrough have had their first bid, believed to be in the region of £4 million rejected.
But despite having their first bid rejected and also facing competition from Hull, Middlesbrough really must sign Jota for a number of reasons. Firstly, over the summer Middlesbrough sold their only true attacking playmaker Gaston Ramirez to Sampdoria. Since selling Ramirez they have not truly replaced him with another attacking midfielder.
Granted Middlesbrough have signed Chelsea’s Lewis Baker on a season long loan. Baker is a centre mid who loves to get forward and has goals and assists in him. However, he is not a natural attacking creative player like Ramirez was and therefore Middlesbrough could still do with signing a creative midfielder.
Jota could certainly be that man. Especially given his impressive Championship record. Last season for Brentford, Jota was out on loan for the first half of the season in Spain. But when he returned for the second half of the Championship season, he lit up the league.
In 21 Championship games, he scored 12 goals and earned five assists. A very impressive goal and assists tally for a team such as Brentford who only finished mid table last season. Jota’s form seems to be continuing into this season as well. Because despite Brentford not being able to win a game this season, Jota has already bagged himself three assists in three games for Brentford.
Jota would also be perfect for the system Monk is trying to implement at Boro. So far this season Monk has been playing three up top. Mainly Gestede, Assombalonga and Bamford. This system allows Boro to either play with wingers, with Gestede and Bamford drifting out wide. Or with two up top (Gestede and Assombalonga) and then Bamford dropping to a CAM position. Jota would fit perfectly into this system. Because he is naturally a right winger but he can also play as a CAM. Moreover, Jota is a more creative player than Bamford. So, when Middlesbrough find themselves struggling to break teams down, Jota could be just the man they need to find that key pass or pull off that little bit of magic that gets them a goal.
However, if Jota does sign for Boro he is going to face some heavy competition on the right wing. As mentioned earlier, Patrick Bamford has been dominating that position so far this season in the Championship. He has put in some excellent displays and has been one of Boro’s stand out stars. Adama Traore also plays on the right and he has just put in an excellent display on Tuesday night in the League Cup.
So, there is clearly some heavy competition for Jota if he signs. However, all top squads need players to be fighting for their place and signing Jota will certainly keep Bamford on his toes.
It is also worth noting that Jota can play on the left wing as well. He has played there 20 times in his career. In those 20 games, he scored six and assisted one.
