Middlesbrough are considering a bid for Everton defender Matthew Pennington as Garry Monk is planning to rejig his defence heavily on the back of a very disappointing season, The ex-Leeds manager has been handed the responsibility to guide Boro to an imminent promotion next season after the Teessiders got demoted to the second tier.
Monk has a particular fascination for youngsters as we have seen during his stint at the Elland Road where he built a squad surrounding a bunch of youngsters with the likes of Hadi Sacko, Charlie Taylor, Kemar Roofe and Ronaldo Vieira.
He would like to replicate the same philosophy at the Riverside and the move for Pennington is just a reflection of that. Monk has already taken things into his hand as Boro roped in Cyrus Christie and Jonny Howson while the likes of Antonio Barragan and Viktor Fischer moved out of the club.
There has been relentless speculation on Ben Gibson who has been the in-demand defender in the transfer market. His performance in the last season has triggered attention among a number of clubs and he could be on his way out from the club but Boro chairman who happens to be the uncle of the defender is very reluctant to let the player leave.
Monk has to undergo a complete overhaul of the backline as Boro are currently facing a sort of defensive crisis. Calum Chambers has returned to Emirates after a decent loan spell with Boro while Bernardo Espinosa has been sold to Girona.
So in the current scenario, a move for the Everton defender is seemingly inevitable for them. Pennington was a vital member of the Everton side that went on to lift the Premier League 2 title so he has the winning mentality in him which could immensely help Boro in this promotional battle.
Like Monk, Koeman is also an avid admirer of youngsters but the lack of sufficient chances wasn’t of much help for the player. The arrival of Michael Keane will further diminish his chances so Pennington must take his chances to prepare for a move outside of the Goodison Park.
Perhaps it would be too soon for Pennington to book a berth in the starting lineup for Boro next season. The Championship is a completely different ball game where the physical portion of football comes into play but he can certainly be a backup and the move will provide him with invaluable experience.
