Middlesbrough has made several fantastic purchases in previous January windows, but Sheffield United offensive midfielder Ravel Morrison’s 2020 loan move was not among them.
The new year marks the midway point of the Championship season, giving clubs one more chance to add permanent or loan players to their rosters before the business end of term.
Some teams make hurried deals to boost promotion chances or save themselves from relegation, while others remain cool and do nothing during the month of January.
In the winter of 2020, Middlesbrough signed Ravel Morrison on loan from Sheffield United in a desperate attempt to revive his promising career and give Jonathan Woodgate a major boost in his team’s Championship survival bid.
It’s the type of transaction that current Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick will want to avoid in the 2025 transfer window.
Ravel Morrison failed to make an impact at Middlesbrough
Signed on 31 January 2020, Morrison made a loan move until the end of the season to Middlesbrough from then Premier League side Sheffield United.
Boro boss at the time, Woodgate, was confident that the former Manchester United prodigy would be a hit at the Riverside despite his journeyman career since leaving Old Trafford in 2012.
Woodgate said at the time: “I just think he’s an absolutely outstanding player, and I think we can get the best out of him.
“People say he’s had issues, but who hasn’t had issues? I’ve had a few myself. It doesn’t concern me one little bit. Go and meet him. I’ll bring in him here, see what you think of him.
“He’s a great guy, a genuinely sweet child. Sometimes the press portrays you incorrectly, and I believe this happened to Ravel. Listen, we all make errors; I’ve done it myself. But he is a good kid, a good lad. He’ll fit well in the dressing room, and I’m quite happy to have him.”
Woodgate’s confidence was misplaced, as Morrison only made three appearances for Middlesbrough in the second half of the 2019/20 season. Boro narrowly avoided relegation to League One by five points.
Neil Warnock, who replaced Woodgate, canceled Morrison’s loan before the final game of the season.
Michael Carrick won’t want to repeat a Ravel Morrison-esque deal
With Middlesbrough aiming for promotion to the Premier League rather than looking over their shoulders towards League One as the latest January window approaches, Carrick will surely be hoping to add some high-quality, impact players into Boro’s dressing room.
Middlesbrough has been connected with Aston Villa’s Louie Barry, indicating the possibility of a loan transfer in the top-flight.
However, with Boro’s playing squad already above the maximum EFL capacity of 25, the Teessiders will need to make any permanent or loan signings for players over the age of 21.
As a result, with squad spots limited and Carrick unlikely to make wholesale changes to a club that he and many others believe has the potential to win promotion this season, Boro will need to make any new recruits count in terms of their influence.
| Morrison’s Middlesbrough stats 20/21 – per Transfermarkt | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | Minutes played |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 216 |
Morrison’s absence from Woodgate in 2020 could have impacted Middlesbrough’s chances of avoiding relegation to League One.
As a result, Carrick will be anxious to avoid a similar agreement in the coming year as he seeks to boost Middlesbrough’s Premier League promotion prospects.
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