Middlesbrough plan on signing two new defenders this summer, though a number of unknowns going into pre-season could increase their need.
Not including youth prospects, Boro currently have two senior options per defensive position within their squad, with Darragh Lenihan expected to be back for the start of pre-season after 18 months out through injury. Despite that, Boro have added a new right-back and centre-back to their summer shopping list as they look to strengthen defensively.
At right-back, Anfernee Dijksteel is out of contract next month and it’s not currently expected that he will be offered a new deal. It comes as Boro hope to strengthen that area this summer, with Luke Ayling still having 12 months left on his deal but having struggled for fitness and form this term. Josh Dede, the youngster who joined from Celtic in January, could get an opportunity in pre-season too.
At left-back, big things are expected of Neto Borges after he started to show his best towards the end of the season before an injury. He returned for the final game of the season at Coventry City. Meanwhile, after missing the entirety of the season, Alex Bangura is expected to be back for the start of pre-season too.
Bangura has suffered from terrible injury problems since joining Boro in the summer of 2023. But when he did manage to play in his first season he showed real promise and it is hoped he can return this summer, enjoy a strong pre-season and then offer strong competition to Borges for the left-back role.
He’s ultimately one of the big unknowns Boro have heading into the summer though, with left-back therefore likely to sit on their list of ‘might be needed’, rather than the priority list, as they assess the Sierra Leone international over the course of the summer. Boro also have young star George McCormick, who looked more than capable whenever given an opportunity last term.
As for Boro’s other big unknown this summer, that comes in the form of Lenihan. The centre-back was one of the leading Championship defenders in his first season at Boro but suffered a serious ankle injury in his second term which required surgery. Making a return last summer, he then suffered complications with his Achilles and missed all of this season (albeit while returning to training and making the bench as an unused sub for the final few games).
The big question for Boro this summer is, at 31, and with just 12 months left on his lucrative deal on Teesside, can the Irishman get himself back to anywhere near the level he was playing at before his injury woe. In recognition of needing to strengthen their spine, Boro have made a centre-back one of their top five priority signings this summer.
At this stage, it’s unclear whether that’s because they’re uncertain about Lenihan and don’t want to overly rely on him next term, or if they’re planning for life without Rav van den Berg. There’s not so much uncertainty surrounding the young Dutchman this summer, more of a dilemma for Boro.
Van den Berg will almost certainly attract attention this summer. He’s had two years at Boro now and has two years remaining on his deal, making it the opportune time as far as value is concerned to sell him. That’s unless the 20-year-old would be open to signing a new, extended deal at the Riverside.
The Dutchman is known to have a very clear and mature outlook for his career trajectory. It was for this reason that he turned down top European clubs in favour of Boro in 2023. Having been sold the project by Michael Carrick and Jonathan Woodgate, the lure of game-time to further his development worked in Boro’s favour.
However, two years down the line and plenty of experience under his belt now, there’s a good chance Van den Berg will see this summer as the right time to look to progress his career, as Boro failed to earn promotion to the Premier League. Even after a season in which injuries restricted his impact to less than his first year at the club, interest won’t be in short supply.
Boro won’t be forced to sell this summer for financial reasons - with Emmanuel Latte Lath’s sale in January helping in that regard. But given the Dutch youth international’s contract status, Boro might feel it’s the best time to sell. Whether they centre-back they plan to sign is related to that, or whether they’d feel they’d need another remains to be seen.
Dael Fry will enter the final 12 months of his contract this summer but there are highly likely to be talks over extending that as he approaches the ten-year anniversary of his Boro debut. George Edmundson made his move to Boro permanent in January. Boro also signed young Harley Hunt last summer and have been impressed with him since his arrival, meaning he could get an opportunity in pre-season.
