Next season now seem out of reach
about this week’s goals is that they showed different sides to the Ivorian - with his Hull goal a display of his pace and composure (a component lacking in his early stages in a Boro shirt).
His Ipswich goal, meanwhile, was another highlighting his movement in the box to position himself well to make himself a threat in the air despite rarely opposing defenders who are smaller than him.
Both were games in which Boro had to do a lot of defending and had to concede a lot of possession.
Latte
Lath worked hard for his side and did many defensive duties as he continues to show encouraging signs he can lead the line of a top-level Championship side.
Latte Lath alone has to offer Boro plenty of hope for next season. Looking well adapted to England’s second tier now, both physically and technically, the striker would be on course for a big goals total next season if he stayed as prolific, but also managed to stay fit. With a goals per 90 rate of 0.59, only Jamie Vardy, Josh Sargent, Che
Adams and Sammie Szmodics have better rates across the whole division now. You could argue that all four of the above might play Premier League football next season via either promotion or transfer, which is a mark of the level a fit and firing Latte Lath can aspire to.
As for Boro in general, while last week may have seen their play-off hopes end, there was certainly plenty of reasons to be optimistic about next season.
As well as many individual improvements, there were real signs of how much Boro have developed as a team too.
Both Hull and Ipswich came to the Riverside earlier in the season and won - in Ipswich’s case, pretty comfortably. Boro this time matched both and were a little frustrated not to leave both with all three points, in a mark of the improvements they’ve made that will hopefully set up for a brighter year next season.
After reports of interest in Seny Dieng the week before, last week it was his deputy Tom Glover who was the focus of transfer speculation, with four sides credited with interest ahead of the summer. Much like the Dieng reports, it wasn’t too difficult to work out where they came from. That the report referenced a finger injury not previously revealed by anyone at Boro that was later proven right as Glover missed the trip to Ipswich, showed the reports could have only come from someone close to the Aussie shot-stopper. What it means for Boro and the summer ahead, with the similar Dieng reports in mind, remains to be seen.
Do both want to leave, or are both using the threat of a potential exit route to try and gain something from Boro? The club do have talented youngsters such as Sol Brynn and Zach Hemming to consider too - but these recent reports have added a little future doubt over a position that previously appeared stable.
There’s no game for Boro this week on account of Sky selecting Boro-Leeds for TV and moving it to next Monday. What that does mean is official confirmation of Boro’s Championship status for an eighth consecutive season is likely to come without them kicking another ball. If Norwich City meet expectations and beat Bristol City at Carrow Road on Saturday then it will be mathematically impossible for Boro to make the top six.