Middlesbrough head coach Rob Edwards has confirmed that key star Finn Azaz will be selected for this weekend’s clash against Norwich City despite receiving a bid from Southampton.
The 24-year-old was a shining light at the Riverside Stadium last season, scoring 12 times in 45 Championship appearances. As such, there was expected to be a transfer scramble for his signature this summer, with the Saints launching an official bid earlier this week.
The attacking midfielder has only played 21 minutes of Boro’s campaign so far this season, although did secure an assist in the 3-0 win over Millwall last weekend. However, his absence in the opener against Swansea City was down to injury.
Edwards Delighted With Azaz
Despite the transfer speculation, Azaz has continued to train with the first team squad. Speaking ahead of Saturday’s game, Edwards addressed the rejected bid whilst revealing his delight at his star’s conduct in training:
“We’ve had a bid from a club for Finn, and we’ve turned that down. We’ve rejected that bid.
“We’re really happy with the contribution that Finn made at the weekend – he was excellent when he came on. He’s trained well again this week and he’s available for selection again at Norwich.
“He’s been great, fully concentrated on the task at hand. He’s available for selection again this weekend, and that’s as far as I’m willing to go on it at the moment.”
Middlesbrough have spent big this summer, bringing in the likes of Adilson Malanda, Sontje Hansen, Abdoulaye Kante and Alfie Jones. This prompted fears that Azaz and teammate Hayden Hackney could be sold to balance the books. Edwards insists otherwise:
“Let’s be real for a second. We’re a club in the Championship at the moment, so if a deal is proposed that’s right for all parties, then who knows.
“I can’t sit here and lie to people by saying categorically this is happening or this isn’t happening, We’ll have to see. But it’s certainly not the case that people have to go because of the people that are coming in. That’s absolutely not the position.”
Writer’s View
Middlesbrough have always been firm in their stance that it would take a big bid for them to consider selling Finn Azaz. Southampton tried their luck earlier this week only to see that confirmed and it is currently believed that it would take £12 million to secure his services. Still, Boro will be reluctant to do a deal with a team they will consider a direct rival this season and the longer this drags on, the less likely it is to happen. It will be interesting to see if the Saints return to the table before the weekend.
