Will Boro be signing a replacement for Isaiah Jones? Michael Carrick explains...
MICHAEL CARRICK is weighing up his options following the departure of Isaiah Jones, but says Middlesbrough will not automatically be signing a new right winger to replace Luton Town’s new signing.
Jones’ move to Luton was confirmed on Friday night, with Boro having agreed a package worth around £5m for the 25-year-old.
There are also doubts over the future of Ben Doak, with Liverpool having turned down offers from both Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town for the Scotland international, whose loan deal on Teesside includes a recall clause that can be triggered this month.
Developments over Doak will heavily influence Boro’s incoming transfer activity this month, but with Marcus Forss now back in the fold after coming off the bench in Saturday’s FA Cup defeat to Blackburn, Carrick is not necessarily targeting a like-for-like replacement for Jones.
“I think there’s a balance to that,” said the Boro boss. “There’s other ways we can deal with it – it doesn’t necessarily mean one in, one out.
“There’s different options we have, and that’s something we’ll need to look at. It depends who’s available and how they’re available. We’ve obviously got ideas of how we want to approach that, but at this stage, we are where we are, and we’ll see what happens next.”
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Boro are expected to make additions this month, with Bournemouth’s Mark Travers a target as the Teessiders consider their goalkeeping options. Sol Brynn and Seny Dieng are both currently sidelined, with Tom Glover having struggled in Saturday’s cup defeat.
At this stage, however, it remains a case of Boro monitoring the market in various parts of the field.
“Of course, we’re looking, although I think what happens is what’s going to happen,” said Carrick. “We’re not going to do something for the sake of it, that’s for sure. We’re not going to sign someone just for numbers. It’s something we’re looking at though, and we’ll see what opportunities come our way.”
Jones left Boro having made 148 senior appearances for the club after joining from non-league Tooting & Mitcham in 2019.
“It was a natural one in the end, for us as a club, in terms of what we see next, and for Izzy, in terms of wanting to play a little bit more than he has done,” said Carrick.
“He’s moving back down south – I don’t want to speak for him and his reasons, but there’s a bigger picture than just one reason. As a club, we just felt it was the right time, and the natural time, to move on.”
