Middlesbrough have struggled to lure new players to the Riverside Stadium until now. As part of Rob Edwards’ rebuild, following his latest endeavour as head coach with Boro, the former Luton Town boss will be hoping to claim more additions after a deal has been reached with Hull City.
The Tigers have sold star centre-back Alfie Jones, who partnered Jacob Greaves – as one of the most underrated pairings in the Championship – prior to the latter’s move to Ipswich Town in 2024. The 27-year-old featured 191 times for Hull over a near-five-year stretch. After a permanent move from Southampton in September 2020, Jones has served as a mainstay member of the Tigers’ squad.
Middlesbrough have announced the Hull defender as their first acquisition of the window. Jones will join a strong selection of centre-backs in Edwards’ back line. Rav van den Berg, Dael Fry, George Edmundson and Darragh Lenihan are all professionals who specialise in that role currently, but Jones’ inclusion will combat all of Boro’s current options.
On the club website, following the defender’s switch from Hull, the 27-year-old had this to say on the new opportunity for the Championship hopefuls:
“The size of the club speaks for itself. Everything about it makes it such an attractive place to be, and I’m delighted to be part of it now.
“The ambitions of the club align with mine and it feels like the perfect fit for me.”
In the 2023/24 season, the Tigers enjoyed a 45-game domestic campaign from the defender, which included one goal and three assists. Two early loan spells with Gillingham and St. Mirren handed Jones some early development which has inevitably led to this latest career move.
Writer’s View
Jones is a specialist in both boxes with a past knack for goalscoring in the Southampton academy, which could be rejuvenated with Boro’s set-pieces. As a mainstay for Hull, Edwards’ outfit will be getting an imperious centre-back to command the back line.
It is a very important move for Boro, with no movement of incomings materialising prior to this. The defender’s signing for Edwards’ side will definitely kickstart a renovation of Middlesbrough. Names like Alfie Doughty and Callum Brittain have been lauded as potential targets, who would both be exceptional pick-ups.
