Middlesbrough are keeping a close eye on Joe Worrall’s situation at Nottingham Forest ahead of the January transfer window, according to reports.
After four straight defeats in the Premier League, it was initially reported by The Daily Mail that club captain Worrall and centre-back partner Scott McKenna were banished from first-team training for the foreseeable future.
The outlet are claiming that there were no behavioural issues behind the club’s decision to ask the pair to train away from the rest of the squad but it boiled down to problems with contracts and agents.
It was further revealed that the duo had been placed up for sale ahead of the January transfer window, with the Tricky Trees keen to offload the defensive pairing over the coming weeks.
Worrall was linked with a move to Leicester City as Enzo Maresca is preparing to bolster his defensive department ahead of a gruelling second half of the campaign, while Boro are also in the running for the skipper’s signature.
Now, according to The Sun, Michael Carrick’s side are set to offer to take the 26-year-old on loan for the rest of the season with an eye to making the deal permanent at the end of the campaign if the club are promoted back to the Premier League.
Middlesbrough are currently sitting 13th in the Championship table but are merely six points off the final playoff spot which is occupied by Hull City. However, Carrick’s men have the eighth-worst defensive record in England’s second-tier which is something that Worrall could help improve.
As per the CIES Football Observatory, the central defender is currently worth £5 million, although he did recently sign a new long-term contract and so could be worth a lot more.
Writer’s View
The situation between Worrall and McKenna at the City Ground is quite peculiar, particularly considering Nottingham Forest are just one place above the relegation zone in the Premier League.
However, one man’s loss is another man’s gain and Worrall would significantly improve Boro’s backline which is leaking goals at the moment as the outfit are struggling for consistency in the Championship. Even if Carrick’s side aren’t promoted, Worrall could still help the team to stabilise at the back, leading to a push for the top six in the latter half of the campaign.
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