As per latest reports, Middlesbrough are one of the teams who are after Icelandic striker Vidar Orn Kjartansson. The 28-year-old forward currently plies his trade for Israeli outfit Maccabi Tel Aviv. The striker has represented his country 18 times but wasn’t selected for the World Cup in Russia where his country gave a good account of themselves. Along with Boro, clubs like West Brom and QPR are also interested in the striker.
Boro might be in need of a striker as Britt Assombolanga is being linked with a move away from the club. The Congolese striker is Boro’s all-time record signing and he could be on his way out after just one season with them. The rumours have heated up ever since there were reports of a bust-up between Tony Pulis and the forward.
That will leave the club short in the attacking department and a new signing will look imminent if Assombolanga departs. Along with the Teessiders, West Bromwich Albion are also linked with a move for him so the move will definitely not be straight forward.
Kjartansson was the top scorer in the Israeli league in the 2016-17 campaign. Last season he managed a tally of 15 goals in 35 games to take his two-year tally with the club to 42. The striker is currently being valued at £3.5m.
Boro came close to qualifying for the Premier League in the last term, however, they had lost to Aston Villa in the playoff semifinals by a narrow margin. Pulis will be looking to go two step further in the upcoming season. For that, he needs to bring in more attacking and creative threat to his team. The Teessiders had one of the meanest defences in the league last campaign but they were lacklustre in the attack.
Last campaign, Pulis had used Assombalonga and Patrick Bamford upfront with the former getting more game time. Besides, Assombalonga has a decent amount of experience in the Championship, so selling him and bringing in an untested striker can be a dubious decision from the manager.
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Kjartansson has played for clubs in China, Norway and Sweden so a move to the Championship could be one of the sternest tests of his career. The reports of a bust-up between Assombalonga and Pulis were classified as not too serious and the veteran manager should in all ways, try to keep hold of him. Kjartansson has a decent scoring record in the past two seasons but the challenge in England could be a bit too much for the 28-year-old striker.
