Man City deal may scare Middlesbrough if they need Emmanuel Latte Lath replacement | OneFootball

Boro signed Man City striker Lukas Nmecha on loan in January 2020, and he would endure a torrid time on Teesside...

Middlesbrough signed forward Lukas Nmecha on loan from Manchester City in January 2020, but he would endure an utterly forgettable few months on Teesside.

Boro entered the 2020 January transfer window dangling somewhere between a play-off push and a relegation battle in the Championship, and manager Jonathan Woodgate was searching for reinforcements to help ensure the second half of their season would be entertaining the former.

Therefore, excitement among Middlesbrough supporters was rife when the club wasted little time in securing a loan deal for Man City striker Lukas Nmecha on 3 January, signing on at the Riverside until the end of the season.

Woodgate had secured a loan deal for fellow City youngster Patrick Roberts the day prior to Nmecha's arrival, and both were expected to have a big impact on the trajectory of Middlesbrough's season.

However, Nmecha's time on Teesside would be one to forget for everyone involved, and with current Boro striker Emmanuel Latte Lath potentially on the move in the 2025 winter window, Middlesbrough may need to avoid a similar deal should they need to search for his replacement.

Lukas Nmecha endures torrid time on loan with Middlesbrough

Having already made a handful of senior appearances for Manchester City, and already represented both England and Germany at youth level, 21-year-old Nmecha looked to be a real coup for Middlesbrough at the time.

He'd spent the 2018/19 season on loan at fellow Championship side Preston North End, where he bagged four goals and five assists in 44 total appearances for the Lilywhites.

A solid return given that was his first extended taste of senior football, and thus he was rewarded with a loan move to Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg for the first half of the 2019/20 season.

12 appearances and no goals or assists later, and his time in Germany hadn't gone to plan. Therefore, City decided to send him back to the second tier for the rest of the season given he'd done well there with North End, and Teesside was his destination.

However, Nmecha was unable to find his scoring boots as a Middlesbrough player, and would end his spell at the Riverside having failed to provide a single goal or assist in 13 total appearances.

He would struggle to carve out a starting role in Woodgate's side, with just four of his 11 Championship outings coming as a member of the starting XI.

The German would return to City at the conclusion of the 2019/20 season, before heading back out on loan to Belgian side Anderlecht. He scored 21 goals in 41 total appearances there, before securing a permanent move back to Wolfsburg in the summer of 2021 for a reported fee of £11m plus add-ons.

Middlesbrough won't wish to repeat Nmecha deal should Emmanuel Latte Lath require replacing in the winter window

Middlesbrough may well be heading into the market to source a centre-forward to cover the potential departure of Latte Lath this month, as Premier League interest has arrived for Boro's number nine.

Ipswich Town, Leicester City, West Ham United and even fellow Championship rivals Leeds United have all been linked with a big-money move for the Ivorian international, with Middlesbrough's decision-makers potentially having a big call to make.

Lath's agent, Mathias Veneroso, has been publicly drumming up interest and attention over a January move for his client in the build-up to the winter window, and as such, his time on Teesside could be reaching its expiration date.

If that is to be the case, Carrick will surely want to find a replacement this month, especially given his other centre-forward, Tommy Conway, has been struggling with a hamstring issue.

Therefore, given the nature of how tough-sledding business can be at this time of year, Boro may not wish to rush into a permanent deal for a player. Instead, they could opt to take the loan route before properly addressing a permanent addition in the summer.

Should they do that, then snapping up a talented youngster or out-of-favour prospect from the Premier League would surely be a likely market for Middlesbrough to cast a line into, but they certainly won't want a repeat of their 2020 Nmecha deal.