Middlesbrough FC told to sign 24-goal ace - He has scored in the Champions League | OneFootball

FLW's Middlesbrough fan pundit has named the player he would like to see the club target in the summer transfer window.

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...

Middlesbrough are facing an important summer after missing out on the Championship play-off places.

Middlesbrough sat as high as fifth in the table in mid-January and looked well on course to achieve a play-off spot, but a poor second half of the season, including just one win in their final six games, saw them miss out on the top six and finish in a disappointing 10th place.

Head coach Michael Carrick insisted after the costly defeat at Coventry City on the final day that he is keen to remain in charge next season, but as FLW exclusively revealed earlier this month, the 43-year-old is facing the threat of the sack, and according to The Northern Echo, Boro chiefs currently conducting a "thorough review" of the events of the campaign before rushing into any big decisions.

The departure of star striker Emmanuel Latte Lath to MLS side Atlanta United in January for a fee of £22.5 million was cited by many as a key reason for the Teesside outfit's decline in the latter part of the campaign, as well as the subsequent signing of Kelechi Iheanacho as his replacement, with the on-loan Sevilla man scoring just one goal in 15 appearances during his time at the Riverside Stadium.

However, prior to completing a deal for Iheanacho, Boro were linked with a move for Slovan Bratislava striker David Strelec, and it could all have been so different if they had managed to land the Slovakia international, who has scored 24 goals and provided eight assists in 47 appearances this season.

Middlesbrough told to revisit David Strelec transfer interest

When asked which player he would like to see the club target this summer, FLW's Middlesbrough fan pundit Liam Day insisted that Strelec should again be on their radar, and he believes he could provide the physical presence up front that Carrick's men have been missing.

"The realistic signing I think Boro should make is David Strelec," Liam said.

"We were linked with him in the January window, but Carrick opted to go for Kelechi Iheanacho, which was obviously the wrong choice.

"At 6'1", he gives us a bit of height in an attack and something a bit different to what we have now.

"He's got 24 goals and eight assists in 47 matches this season, and while that is in the Slovakian league, I feel like he's proven himself as he has scored five in the Champions League, so he does seem like an impressive player.

"Obviously he's very different to Tommy Conway, who is a bit more of a faster presser, and I feel like we need a bit of height in the team as we don't have much, but Strelec can offer us that.

"He seems like a good player, he seems powerful, and I think he would be a good signing.

"We were linked with him in January, so hopefully we can revisit that and get him."

Middlesbrough may just have been handed big David Strelec boost

One of the main criticisms levelled at Middlesbrough and Carrick in recent months has been that their football has been too predictable and one-dimensional, so the addition of a big target man like Strelec could be a game-changer for their attack.

However, Strelec is far from just a physical presence, and while there is no guarantee that his form will translate from the Slovakian top flight to the Championship, his impressive goal tally this season suggests he could be a threat at the Riverside Stadium.

Strelec was reportedly keen on a move to Teesside in January, and after Slovan Bratislava's CEO admitted that the 24-year-old's price tag may come down this summer, the door could be open for Boro to swoop, particularly as their budget will have been boosted by the sale of Latte Lath.