Middlesbrough and Michael Carrick may have made critical West Brom, Adam Armstrong call in January | OneFootball

Boro opted to sign Kelechi Iheanacho over Southampton's Adam Armstrong to replace Emmanuel Latte Lath, but they may have made the wrong decision.

Middlesbrough gambled on Sevilla striker Kelechi Iheanacho over Southampton's Adam Armstrong to replace Emmanuel Latte Lath, but the early signs suggest Boro may come to regret that.

The Teessiders cashed in on prolific centre-forward Emmanuel Latte Lath in the closing stages of the winter transfer window, with a club and MLS record £22.5m deal being agreed with Atlanta United.

Throughout January, the narrative was that should Middlesbrough lose the Ivorian international, then he would be replaced, and it was Sevilla's Iheanacho who was chosen to fill that void in Michael Carrick's team.

The former Leicester and Manchester City striker signed on loan for the remainder of the season, in a deal that will reportedly see Middlesbrough pay less than half of his Sevilla wages. But, Boro also had an iron in the fire for Southampton's Armstrong before his eventual move to West Brom.

With time rapidly running out for Middlesbrough to arrest their play-off slide, it would be imperative for Iheanacho to hit the ground running at the Riverside Stadium.

Kelechi Iheanacho hasn't enjoyed a strong start to his Middlesbrough career

Having scored a healthy number of goals at Premier League level in previous years, Iheanacho certainly arrived on Teesside with a pedigree that commanded respect.

The 28-year-old has an FA Cup, Community Shield, League Cup, and a Championship title on his CV, and provided a respectable five goals and one assist in 23 second-tier outings for Leicester City last season.

However, after three goals in 11 appearances for Sevilla this season, all of which came in the Copa del Rey, the Nigerian international was allowed to seek more regular football away from the La Liga outfit.

His opening displays in a Middlesbrough shirt have left many Teessiders worried that the club may only have replaced Latte Lath from a physical standpoint, and not his goals.

Iheanacho's debut came in the 3-1 defeat to Sheffield United on 12 February, in which he was replaced after 73 minutes, having struggled to make an impact in the game and snatching at his chances when they sparingly arrived.

Watford, however, was even more alarming. Withdrawn after 58 minutes with Boro 1-0 down, Iheanacho registered just one shot in the game, whilst winning none of his six ground duels (per FotMob) and generally looking like a striker out of form, out of confidence, and out of match fitness.

Middlesbrough may well regret allowing West Brom to strengthen their play-off credentials with Adam Armstrong deal

As previously mentioned, Iheanacho wasn't the only striker Middlesbrough were looking at for a last-minute Latte Lath replacement.

Armstrong had been struggling for goals in the Premier League with Southampton this season, and thus he was allowed to leave St. Mary's to seek a larger role elsewhere.

Boro were understood to have been offered the chance to sign the former Blackburn man, with the 28-year-old reportedly keen on a move back to his native North East of England.

However, Middlesbrough were reported to have been unwilling to meet Southampton's loan demands, which required the Teessiders to pay 100 percent of his wages as well as a significant loan fee.

West Brom seemingly were and they landed his signature for the rest of the season. It wouldn't take long for him to adhere himself to The Hawthorn's faithful either, as he scored an excellently taken volley on his Baggies debut to help hand Albion a crucial 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday on 8 February.

Armstrong may yet to have truly proven himself at Premier League level, but in the Championship, he's shown himself to be a deadly source of goals from his time with Southampton and Blackburn in particular, as well as spells with Bolton and Barnsley respectively.

Having made 23 appearances in all competitions for the Saints prior to his West Brom move, unlike Iheanacho, he had played enough football to ensure that he was in the best position to hit the ground running at The Hawthorns.

Therefore, Middlesbrough's decision to opt for the more cost-effective option in Iheanacho over the more expensive, but more proven one in Armstrong, looks to have all the makings for some major Teesside regret when it's all said and done.

Not only have they enabled a direct play-off rival to really bolster their attacking firepower, but they don't appear to have restocked their own arsenal sufficiently enough to justify this cheaper approach.

Both deals had an element of a gamble to them, but Boro will surely already be beginning to question whether they should've gone all-in on Armstrong.