Now that their season has come to an end, Middlesbrough will be starting to turn their attention to the summer transfer window.
Manager Michael Carrick has given a strong indication that he is ready to oversee another season in the dugout at The Riverside and now he must work with the board to build a squad capable of promotion.
This season, Boro finished eighth in the Championship which was a disappointing campaign given they finished third the season prior before losing in the play-off semi-final.
However, given the Teesside club went without a win for their first seven league games of the 2023/24 season, the fact they turned it around to finish just four points off of the play-offs deserves some credit.
It is likely to be another busy summer transfer window and Boro should prioritise a move for a Premier League striker who faces an uncertain future.
Middlesbrough should sign Kieffer Moore
That player is Kieffer Moore, the Wales international who spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Ipswich Town.
The 31-year-old striker had not started a Premier League game under Andoni Iraola prior to making the temporary move to Ipswich and finds himself low in the Bournemouth pecking order with Dominic Solanke and Enes Unal ahead of him.
On that basis, it seems likely Moore’s future does not lie at the Cherries and he will be seeking pastures new this summer.
The man with 12 international goals for Wales made an impact at Ipswich as he scored seven goals in 18 Championship games according to Transfermarkt.
These strikes helped the club secure an unlikely promotion to the Premier League just a year after finishing second in League One.
Middlesbrough have a very good centre-forward themselves in Emmanuel Latte Lath. The Ivorian really grew in influence as his debut season went on, scoring 16 goals in 30 league games.
However, Carrick will likely be after another striker to take some of the burden off the 25-year-old.
Moore has just one year left on his Bournemouth contract and could therefore be available for a cut-price fee.
The player himself is likely to embrace the opportunity to play regular football again in the Championship, so it could be a move that suits all parties.
Moore guarantees Championship goals
Moore represents a very different sort of striker to Latte Lath and provides a real focal point to the attack, as well as being particularly strong aerially.
When the former Cardiff City man arrived at Ipswich, Town manager Kieran McKenna said on Moore: “He’s a really experienced, high-calibre player, the profile of striker we felt we really needed to add to the squad with George Hirst’s injury.”
Whilst Moore was an important player under McKenna in the promotion run-in, the fact he was primarily signed as injury cover for Hirst suggests Ipswich may not seek the striker’s services permanently this summer.
This opens the door for Boro and Moore has a very good goal record at Championship level.
Moore has played for Cardiff, Bournemouth, Ipswich, Wigan and Barnsley in England’s second tier and has scored 54 goals and provided 15 assists in 173 Championship games.
His most prolific season came for Cardiff in the 2020/21 season, as he netted 20 league goals in 42 games.
If Boro can secure a deal for Moore, they will see their chances of promotion boosted significantly.