One winner and one loser if Middlesbrough win transfer battle for 24-year-old midfielder | OneFootball

Middlesbrough’s fine form under Michael Carrick continued on Saturday as they beat Millwall 1-0 at the Riverside Stadium.

The result saw Boro move up to fourth in the Championship and whilst a top two finish seems highly unlikely, the fans will feel that promotion through the play-offs is a genuine possibility, something that seemed out of the question when Carrick arrived.

Despite the good run, the boss will want to strengthen his squad ahead of the deadline and the Telegraph have revealed that Boro are rivalling Norwich and Cardiff for Keanu Baccus.

The Australian international, who played at the World Cup recently, is currently with St. Mirren but it’s believed he will be available for just £350,000.

And, here we look at ONE winner and ONE loser if the player moved to Teesside…

Winner: Keanu Baccus

You’d have to say the big winner from this situation would be the player himself.

Having started his career in Australia, Baccus is now in Scotland with St. Mirren so you’d have to say that this would be a massive step up.

He would be joining a big Championship club and there’s obviously the possibility that he could be a Premier League player in six months, arguably the biggest league in the world. So, this is a great opportunity and one he will be desperate to take.

Which club do these 20 ex-Boro youth players play for now?

1 of 20

Adam Reach

Wigan West Brom Luton Stoke

Loser: Alex Mowatt

Naturally, if Baccus came in it would be harder for the current midfielders at the club – which includes Mowatt.

The left-footer hasn’t made the impact he would’ve wanted since joining on loan from West Brom and he often finds himself on the bench under Carrick.

If Baccus arrived, Mowatt would fall further down the pecking order and it could mean he spend most of the rest of the season watching on from the bench.