Middlesbrough must beat deadline to seal Premier League transfer after Seny Dieng reveal | OneFootball

Boro must complete a deal for Bournemouth's Mark Travers after receiving yet another injury blow to their goalkeeping department.

Middlesbrough are facing a critical final few days of the winter transfer window.

Michael Carrick's side are clinging onto a play-off place in the Championship, but inconsistent results and performances mean they're loitering by the trap door.

Boro have been busy improving their squad in recent days, with the arrivals of Ryan Giles, Morgan Whittaker and George Edmundson's loan deal becoming a permanent one, all boosting their options in attack and defence.

However, a recent development has stripped an already stretched department of Carrick's squad to breaking point, and has revealed to many what Middlesbrough's main priority should be in the market before the window slams shut on 3 February.

Middlesbrough's goalkeeping room has been coming under increasing scrutiny this season, both in regard to the depth and quality available in-between the sticks.

Senegalese international Seny Dieng opened the season as Boro's number one once again, but a combination of mistakes, unconvincing performances and injury woes saw academy graduate Sol Brynn replace him as the starter in late-November.

However, the 24-year-old suffered a dislocated shoulder in a 3-3 Boxing Day draw with Sheffield Wednesday, and isn't expected to return to fitness until some time in March.

That meant third-choice shot-stopper Tom Glover was drafted into the starting lineup, but a new update regarding Dieng's fitness has left him as Middlesbrough's only remaining senior option.

Posting to his Instagram account on Friday 24 January, an image of Dieng lying on a hospital bed was accompanied by a caption that revealed he'd undergone surgery, which Carrick has since confirmed was following an Achilles injury sustained in training.

"Unfortunately Seny has needed to have an operation on his Achilles," said Carrick. "He's going to be out for a bit of time. We have Tom who has done well and we had Shea (Connor) on the bench, so it's definitely something we need to look at."

Middlesbrough must now prioritise completing deal for AFC Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers

Dieng now looks sure to be sidelined for the remainder of the season, and with Brynn's return still some time away, Middlesbrough are staring at a crisis situation at the goalkeeper position.

An injury to Glover would mean Carrick would have to turn to Boro's academy, in what could have catastrophic implications for Middlesbrough's promotion push.

Therefore, the club must now pull out all the stops to secure the signing of Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers, who was reported to have been in advanced talks with the Teessiders dating back to Monday 20 January.

The 25-year-old Republic of Ireland international has been playing second fiddle to Kepa Arrizabalaga at the Vitality Stadium this season, but when he has been handed the opportunity to impress, he's looked comfortable at Premier League level.

A proven safe pair of hands in the Championship, Travers started all but one of the Cherries' league games on the way to securing automatic promotion to the top flight in the 2021/22 campaign, whilst also spending time on loan with Stoke City in the first half of last season.

Now at the stage of his career where playing regular football is crucial to his development, Travers appears to be keen to seek a temporary exit from Bournemouth this window, and a move to Middlesbrough would surely hand him the opportunity to play 90 minutes every week.

It could even come with the possibility of a permanent transfer at the conclusion of the season, depending on what league Boro will be playing their trade in next season, or if Travers decides to call time on his Bournemouth career.

That's a discussion for another day. What's imperative now is that if he's the goalkeeper Middlesbrough want, then they must make securing his signature a top priority as the clock ticks ever closer to the deadline.

If Boro don't complete a deal for him, or any other keeper for that matter, then they would have to wrap Glover up in cotton wool on top of any other injury-repellent material they can find.