"Good option" - Middlesbrough urged to make summer move for Swansea City man | OneFootball

FLW's Middlesbrough fan pundit would like to see the club target defender Harry Darling in the summer when his contract at Swansea City expires.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

It has been an incredibly disappointing few weeks for Middlesbrough in the Championship, increasing the pressure on head coach Michael Carrick.

Middlesbrough spent much of the first half of the season in the top six, but after a run of just four wins in their last 16 league games, they are now 11th in the table, four points from the play-off places.

Boro suffered their fourth consecutive defeat as they were beaten 1-0 by fellow play-off hopefuls Watford at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday, and reports emerged on Sunday that former Nottingham Forest and Leicester City manager Steve Cooper could be considered as a potential replacement for Carrick if owner Steve Gibson decided to make a change.

Carrick's position is not believed to be under any imminent threat, and Gibson is said to still be backing him to achieve promotion to the Premier League this season, but with tricky away trips to Bristol City and Stoke City coming up in the next two games, it does not get much easier for the 43-year-old.

Boro made five new signings in the January transfer window in Mark Travers, Ryan Giles, Morgan Whittaker, Samuel Iling-Junior and Kelechi Iheanacho, while George Edmundson completed a permanent move from Ipswich Town, but with many of the new additions failing to make an impact so far, another rebuild could be on the cards for the Teesside outfit in the summer.

Middlesbrough told to target Harry Darling summer deal

When asked which soon-to-be out of contract Championship player he would like the club to target in the summer, FLW's Middlesbrough fan pundit Jasper Hudson said that Swansea City defender Harry Darling could be a strong addition, particularly amid speculation over the future of Rav van den Berg.

"A player who is out of contract in the summer that I think could be a good option for us would be Harry Darling from Swansea," Jasper said.

"There's obviously a risk that we lose Rav van den Berg come the summer, and I think Harry Darling has done well for Swansea this year.

"He's a decent Championship player and he's got experience, so a deal for him could be good.

"I feel like we need a right-back, but out of the right-backs that are out of contract in the summer, we've probably got the best already in Anfernee Dijksteel.

"We've lost Matt Clarke, I'm expecting us to lose van den Berg, and George Edmundson is not at the level, so we're down to the bare bones and have very few centre-backs at the club.

"I'd like us to bring in another one, and Darling has got experience at the level and has done quite well for Swansea at times."

One of the constant themes for Middlesbrough this season has been conceding avoidable goals and making defensive mistakes, so strengthening at the back should be top of Carrick's priority list in the summer.

While Carrick has persisted with Edmundson in recent weeks, as Jasper says, he is not at the level required for a team chasing promotion in the Championship, and with Crystal Palace said to be keen on van den Berg, Boro could be vulnerable to losing the Dutchman in the summer.

Jasper is right that Darling would be a good addition to Carrick's side, and after talks over a new contract at Swansea stalled, he looks set to be on the move in the summer, but he was linked with Bristol City, Birmingham City and Sheffield United in January, so he would have no shortage of suitors if he was to become a free agent.