Middlesbrough opinion: Boro should sign Scott Sinclair from Celtic
According to the Sun, Middlesbrough are weighing up a £2milliondeal for Celtic winger Scott Sinclair in the summer, as manager Tony Pulis looks to bring in a replacement for England U-20 international Marcus Tavernier, who has attracted interest from Bournemouth.
Sinclair has only one year remaining on his contract at Parkhead and the Scottish giants face the risk of losing him for free at the end of next season.
Middlesbrough want to bring the 30-year-old former Man City star back to England after three seasons in the Scottish Premiership, irrespective of where they play their football next season (h/t the Sun).
Middlesbrough, who are currently 7th in the standings and just a point adrift of Derby County for the final promotion-playoff spot, will be facing Rotherham United in the last game of the season.
Boro have their fate in their own hands, knowing that a victory for them would guarantee a spot in the playoffs, provided Derby drop points against West Brom on Sunday.
Sinclair, who represented Great Britain at the 2021 Olympics, made his move to Celtic fromAston Villa back in 2016 and has enjoyed a trophy-laden spell across the border.
The 30-year-old has been a key player for Celtic, both in the Premiership and on the European front, registering a total of 60 goals and 34 assists from 156 appearances for the Hoops in all competitions.
He has been in tremendous form this season as well, accumulating 17 goals and 6 assists from 51 appearances in all competitions.
A youth product of Bristol Rovers, Sinclair joined Chelsea in 2005 but he spent time on loan at a host of lower division clubs, having failed to nail down a regular first-team role.
Sinclair enjoyed his most fruitful spell in English football at Swansea City, helping the club secure promotion to the top-flight and playing a key role for the Swans in the 2011-12 Premier League season.
Subsequently, he went on to play for Man City, West Brom and Aston Villa before moving across the border to join Celtic.
To put things into perspective, Sinclair has never quite lived up to his full potential in England but he would still be a good signing for any promotion-chasing club in the Championship.
Should Boro secure promotion to the Premier League through the playoffs, signing someone like Sinclair might be a bit of a gamble given that his returns in the top-flight in the past haven’t been great.
However, his experience can be a big asset to the team in their bid for survival in the Premier League.
Bringing in Sinclair as a replacement for Marcus Tavernier would make little sense in relation to Middlesbrough’s long-term plans, but the 30-year-old still has the pace and the guile in his armoury to add depth to Tony Pulis’ squad.
They secured the services of Rajiv van La Parra on loan from Huddersfield Town in January but the Dutchman hasn’t started a single game in the Championship.
Stewart Downing is another viable option but his form this season has been pretty ordinary and at 34, he might be heading for the exit door in the summer.
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Conclusion
Sinclair’s exploits at Celtic have somewhat removed the ‘underachiever’ tag, though he will still have plenty to prove if Middlesbrough decide to bring him back to England this summer.
His experience can be a make-or-break factor for Boro next season – be it fighting for promotion in the Championship or beating the drop in the Premier League.
