The January transfer window has slammed shut and Michael Carrick now knows exactly how his squad looks for the remainder of the season.

A busier month than expected, Middlesbrough signed six players in total, while six left and Lukas Engel's exit is expected to be announced in due course. Boro made some eye-catching signings during the window, with Mark Travers a highly-rated goalkeeper, Ryan Giles making an emotional return, while Morgan Whittaker, Samuel Iling-Junior and Kelechi Iheanacho are exciting new attacking options.

However, Boro could not resist the money on offer for Emmanuel Latte Lath and sold him to Atlanta United for a club-record fee. As well as losing their top scorer mid-season, there have been concerns raised about the dependence on Aidan Morris after the window with no midfielder added, and also the defensive depth after Matt Clarke's exit.

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With all that in mind, and plenty to pick the bones out of, we asked our Boro fan panel to give their rating and verdict on the club's transfer window. Our panel this week consists of Youtuber and talkSport journalist Phil Spencer, Boro Breakdown co-host Dana Malt, Boropolis co-founder Chris Cassidy and Twe12th Man member John Donovan.

Chris Cassidy

There are many different factors behind my rating, but I think when it comes down to it, the majority of Championship clubs would have been delighted if they’d made the six signings Boro did.

Mark Travers and Ryan Giles are definitely upgrades at goalkeeper and left-back, and the additions of Morgan Whittaker and Samuel Illing-Junior are real statements of intent from the club. It’s a testament to the work that has gone into recruitment since the arrival of Kieran Scott that Boro are able to attract players of that calibre.

The departure and timing of Emmanuel Latte Lath’s exit was far from ideal, but Boro have also made a significant profit on a player that they picked up for a reported £4m. As unpopular as it may be, that’s another success story courtesy of the model. Needless to say, though, Middlesbrough have ultimately lost what was one of the best strikers in the division, so it’s not an easy pill to swallow.

Latte Lath’s replacement, Kelechi Iheanacho, certainly has pedigree and in the short term definitely has the quality to be a shrewd bit of business. However, I can also understand some of the concerns around his fitness record.

The main reason I wasn’t more generous with my rating is largely down to what Boro didn’t manage. Matt Clarke needed replacing, and an injury to Hayden Hackney or Aidan Morris would be critical. I do fear the right-back situation may also be a bigger issue than first feared. Nevertheless, I was pleased with the exits for the most part, and I think Micah Hamilton and Alex Gilbert will absolutely benefit from some regular football.

I think in any transfer window, the aim is always to end it stronger than you started, and Middlesbrough have definitely managed that, even without their player trading being completely flawless.

Window rating: 7/10

Phil Spencer

I've found this a really tricky question to answer as I'm honestly quite divided on how I think the transfer window played out. There's no disputing that the players that we've brought into the squad are strong additions - Mark Travers, Ryan Giles, Morgan Whittaker and Samuel Iling-Junior undoubtedly add strength in depth to the team.

Kelechi Iheanacho, in isolation, is a decent signing on loan. He has obvious quality and a loan feels right in terms of giving him a chance to show that he still has the hunger to succeed. The doubt comes in due to him being a replacement for Emmanuel Latte Lath who was just brilliant in terms of scoring goals and work rate - he would have been massive in the second half of the season.

Iheanacho feels like a bit of a punt which makes me a bit nervous given our need for a striker who will hit the ground running. He could be brilliant and actually better than Latte Lath, but that'll be for him to prove.

The biggest question, however, is about the balance of the squad. While the above players undoubtedly add quality to the group, it's painfully clear that we are lacking in defence and so the deal to sell Matt Clarke to Derby, for me, feels like a bad decision.

At the time I thought it made sense, but that was when I thought we'd be bringing in a young, ball-playing replacement. The fact that he wasn't replaced is a big concern! All of a sudden, Middlesbrough's squad feels incredibly top-heavy and the feeling is that we're putting all of our eggs in the basket of out-scoring our opponents - a strategy which is a huge gamble with a defence that's as leaky as ours.

Our defence was always our weakness and so strengthening there felt like a bigger priority than the attack. In summary, I probably have less confidence in our current squad than I did in the one that we had on December 31st.

Had we signed one less attacking player and instead brought in a out-and-out defender I'd probably be happy. I hope I'm proved wrong because I have real faith in Kieran Scott and our recruitment team, but it'll be up to Michael Carrick and our new signings to prove to fans that they've approached it in the right way.

Window rating: 6/10

Dana Malt

Travers is by far the best signing of the window. Giles is a potentially good addition, but only if he can rediscover his form. Whittaker is quite one dimensional so I’m not as hot on him as others. I like what Iling-Junior could offer, especially in the absence of Doak. But hearing Leicester fans call Iheanacho ‘lazy’ and note his streaky form isn’t exactly convincing.

The main reason for the low marks, though, is actually what Boro didn’t do. Central midfield has become a troublesome area within our squad. Centre half is pretty threadbare. Number 10 has minimal strength in depth. Right back still needs improvement. None of these were addressed.

Boro are relying heavily on players to ‘do a job’ in positions that they may have some degree of comfort in, but are not their bread and butter. Versatility is often good, but I do wish we’d have two ‘specialists’ per position instead of pulling others out of place.

Ultimately, we’ve not rectified the key areas within the squad, and on top of losing Emmanuel Latte Lath, I just don’t think it’s been the strong window that we needed in the middle of a play-off battle.

Window rating: 5/10

John Donovan

This window was decent from an attacking perspective but lacked in recruitment of areas where we still seem short. Iling-Junior excites me, Whitaker has proved his ability at this level, and Iheanacho could prove to be a shrewd deal.

Allowing Matt Clarke to leave leaves us with only three fit centre backs, with Harley Hunt as a young, inexperienced backup. If we wanted to play 3 CBs with 2 wing backs, it would be very risky in case of injury. I also think another midfielder would have given us greater options in that area. Glen Kamara was linked, but I'm not sure how strong our interest was, if any. He would have been a perfect fit for us, strong, combative and experienced.

Getting Mark Travers strengthens the team, as does Ryan Giles. We already know about George Edmunson, and Brayden Johnson and Josh Dede are players we can develop. But there are defincies in areas that were not addressed.

Window rating: 6.5/10

As well as hearing their views on particular Boro topics on Teesside Live each week, you can also hear from them further on their respective platforms. Phil Spencer runs his own Youtube channel which you can subscribe to here. Dana Malt is part of the Boro Breakdown Podcast, Chris Cassidy is part of the Boropolis Podcast, and John Donovan is part of the Twe12th Man Podcast, all of which you can listen to on all major podcast outlets.