Coburn looks likely to head out on loan
CHRIS Wilder would like to loan out Josh Coburn this season - as long as Middlesbrough add two more strikers to their squad this summer.
The striker has enjoyed an incredible period since breaking into the Boro first team towards the back end of the 2020-21 season.
Yet despite coming off the bench in Boro’s opening-day draw with West Brom on Saturday, Wilder has admitted that, providing he gets what he needs this summer, the plan will be to loan out the 19-year-old in the upcoming campaign.
The boss feels game time which Coburn will not get at Boro if signings are made is most important for his development.
Wilder said: “We have really high hopes for Jos, but we possibly feel that for his progression and his development that he maybe needs to go out on loan and play regular football and get into a rhythm.
“Right now, he’s here, Chuba’s here having a go, Dunc is here having a go on one leg, and we all understand where we’re at.
“We’ve had loads of people enquire about him. That’s what we think and what we feel.
“We like to think we know what’s best for the boy’s development as well.
“We know every time he puts that shirt on he’ll give everything he has to give and if we do decide to keep him in the building then fine.”
It’s not known at this time which clubs would now be interested and at what level Wilder would like him to go to.
Back in January Wilder resisted offers for the young striker, feeling his development would be just as well served in that six-month period from training with Boro and his coaching staff, while being around solid senior pros in the group from whom he could learn from with regards to living the right lifestyle and having the right mentality.
Wilder also noted at the time that he’d prefer to have five strikers.
Howveer, this season he is prepared to go with just four, having spent large parts of pre-season experimenting with Riley McGree at ten as an alternative to having two strikers on the pitch. They so far have one new striker through the door in Marcus Forss, while Duncan Watmore and Chuba Akpom started against West Brom.
Two more strikers would give Wilder the five he wants, though Akpom’s future remains uncertain for the time being.
Meanwhile, with Marcus Tavernier’s exit expected to be confirmed early this week, Boro would need another leftsided midfielder if those McGree plans were to be a possibility.
Elsewhere, Wilder explained why Dael Fry was only on the bench, with Marc Bola starting at left centre-back.
The Boro boss said: “We had a decision to make. I thought Boles did really well against Marseille and that gave us balance.
“So that was partly the decision we made, though I must say, it possibly would have been a slight risk.
“Dael trained on Thursday and given where we’re at in terms of squad numbers, we took the risk out of it.
“However, Boles was good in training on Friday so deserved another chance today.”