WITH the January transfer window having been open for almost a fortnight, there has been considerable speculation over the future of Middlesbrough striker Emmanuel Latte Lath.
What is the current state of play with the Ivorian forward, and what is likely to happen before the window swings shut at the start of next month?
WHO HAS BID FOR LATTE LATH?
Atlanta United became the first club to lodge a formal offer for Latte Lath when they tabled a bid over the weekend.
The American MLS side have offered a deal that is understood to involve an up-front fee of around £18m, with the total package potentially worth around £20m once add-ons are included.
The US media are reporting that Atlanta have also put together a financial package that would see Latte Lath receive a significant increase on his current wages on Teesside.
Middlesbrough have acknowledged receipt of the offer, but are yet to formally respond to it or enter into more detailed discussions with the Atlanta hierarchy.
While there had been speculation linking Latte Lath with a number of clubs this month, both at home and abroad, the formal approach from Atlanta came somewhat out of the blue.
ARE ATLANTA THE ONLY CLUB INTERESTED?
No. While the MLS side might be the only club to have tabled an offer so far this month, there have been preliminary discussions with a number of different suitors.
Ipswich Town made an offer worth around £20m once add-ons were included on deadline day in August, only for it to be rejected by Boro’s leadership group. They remain interested though, with their head coach, Kieran McKenna, having spoken publicly about the need for a new striker, who could make the difference between remaining in the Premier League or suffering relegation.
West Ham are long-time admirers of Latte Lath, and sources claim senior Boro officials are aware of the London club’s ongoing interest. The Hammers’ need for a new striker increased over the weekend when their summer signing, Niclas Fullkrug was diagnosed with a hamstring injury that will keep him on the sidelines for around three months. With Jarrod Bowen also absent with a long-term injury, and Michail Antonio unavailable after his recent car crash, West Ham’s need for a new striker has become chronic. They have been linked with Brighton’s Evan Ferguson and Lille’s Jonathan David, but Latte Lath is probably a more realistic and attainable option.
There has also been persistent talk of Italian top-flight interest in Latte Lath, although a lot of that is believed to have been driven by intermediaries looking to drum interest in the Boro striker.
WILL BORO SELL THIS MONTH?
They didn’t in the summer, although that was due, at least in part, to the timing of Ipswich’s bid, which did not give them a realistic chance of securing a replacement, rather than because the two clubs’ valuations were miles apart.
Latte Lath is contracted to the Riverside until 2027, with Boro having the option of an additional 12 months, so there is no compelling urge to move the 26-year-old through the exit door. Latte Lath is Boro’s leading scorer this season with ten league goals, and only Borja Sainz and Josh Maja are ahead of him in the Championship goalscoring standings.
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That said, however, there is also an understanding within senior figures in the Boro hierarchy that the transfer talk around Latte Lath is not going away and this might be the right time to cash in on the striker. Given the number of clubs potentially interested, there is a good chance Boro will receive offers above what Atlanta have currently tabled in the next few days.
Latte Lath was keen to move to the Premier League in the summer, but responded fairly positively to Boro’s decision to keep him on Teesside. Would he be as understanding if another big-money move was blocked this month?
Boro’s latest financial results, released recently, revealed a pre-tax annual loss of £12.4m. The only way to plug that gap is through direct financial support from Steve Gibson, who effectively wrote off more than £130m by converting loans into shares during the most recent accountancy period, or by selling players.
So, while Boro do not need to sell Latte Lath to plug a gaping hole in their accounts, the financial reality is that the Teessiders need to sell sporadically if Gibson’s personal investment is not to become even higher than its current levels.
The most saleable assets within the current Boro squad are Rav van den Berg, Hayden Hackney and Latte Lath. Of the three, losing Latte Lath feels the least potentially damaging and therefore probably the more likely.
WOULD BORO REPLACE LATTE LATH IF THEY SOLD?
Yes. While Tommy Conway has proven himself to be an effective centre-forward this season – the Scot was keeping Latte Lath out of the team in October and November – he is currently injured.
Even when he returns to fitness, he needs support and competition, and that will not be coming from Josh Coburn, who remains both injured and on loan at Millwall. Delano Burgzorg can play up front, but as Saturday’s FA Cup defeat to Blackburn proved, the summer signing from Mainz is more effective as a wide attacker on the left than as a centre-forward.
If Latte Lath was to leave, he would have to be replaced, whether through the permanent purchase of a new striker, which would be the preferred option, or via a loan deal to the end of the campaign.
In the summer, Boro felt they did not have sufficient time to pursue any of their long-term attacking targets, with Ipswich’s bid only arriving on deadline day. Things are different this time around, and with Latte Lath’s future having been up for debate for quite a while, the club’s recruitment team have been working diligently on putting plans in place for a possible exit.
Targets regarded as attainable this month are already in place, with Michael Carrick having been heavily involved in the planning process.
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