Ben Doak and Emmanuel Latte Lath are already the subject of interest from other sources this January.
Middlesbrough’s dressing room understands the importance of keeping key players at the club this month, as Dan Barlaser was asked about reports that Ben Doak and Emmanuel Latte Lath could leave.
Although the January transfer window has only been open for a week, Boro’s two key players have already sparked speculation. In a season where they hope to compete for promotion, they could do without losing two such important players – albeit keeping both could be difficult.
In the instance of Liverpool loan star Doak, they have little say. The Reds have a recall clause this month and last week turned down offers from Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town, but they are said to be willing to sell the speedy wide man if their valuation is met. Latte Lath, meanwhile, was the subject of a late-summer bid from Ipswich that was rejected, and while they have yet to receive any concrete offers this month, there is some interest.
On transfer talk and the mood in the locker room, Barlaser said: “It’s huge [to keep our best players]. We want to keep all of our best players while also bringing in some help. We haven’t had much luck with injuries recently. Getting some lads back would be great, but it’s essential for any team, especially if they want to move up the table.”
Regarding Doak’s importance, he went on to say, “All of those lads up front, the pacey players, Manu, Izzy, just put it in the space and let them run.” If I were that quick, that’s all I’d do. Ben has been fantastic, especially given his age. As I previously stated, if we can place our attacking players in advantageous positions, we will be able to score numerous goals.
Barlaser was speaking after Boro’s frustrating draw with Cardiff City. They were only able to draw 1-1 despite taking the lead after just 12 minutes. It was a game in which Michael Carrick’s side struggled to create much after their goal to justify taking all three points.
Barlaser said: “It’s definitely disappointing. We knew it would be that type of game because at Watford they played the same way and sat behind the ball. We started well, then they scored and just sat behind the ball. We could have been better switching play. We just weren’t at our best in the final third. It’s disappointing.
“It’s very, very hard to break a team down that have 11 men behind the ball. There’s not much space, we want space for our pacey players. We didn’t give Manu enough service. But on the positive side we pinned them in and stayed patient.”
On an afternoon where frustrations were felt from the stands in the performance, Barlaser had no problems with that, saying: “It’s a good pressure. For me, it’s an honour. We’re fighting for a fantastic club who want to achieve things and the fans pay their money so they can shout and scream as much as they want. We kept going until the end but unfortunately we couldn’t get the goal.
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