2.87 saves per game, 7.3 accurate long passes a match: This 24-year-old would be ideal for Middlesbrough amid transfer links

Middlesbrough have begun their transfer business ahead of the 2022-23 season by acquiring Northampton Town stopper Liam Roberts – but he will not be Chris Wilder’s first-choice in the Championship.

Whilst the 27-year-old impressed in League Two this past season, it’s likely that Roberts is only going to get the opportunity to feature in cup competitions.

That is because Wilder is going to bring a Championship-proven goalkeeper to the club if he gets his way, with two players in particular linked in recent weeks to the Teessiders.

One of those is Daniel Iversen of Leicester City, who has more-than impressed in the second tier of English football since January 2021, which is when he first joined Preston North End on loan from the Foxes.

The Dane returned to Deepdale last summer following his initial half-season loan, and despite not starting in North End’s opening Championship game of the season, he still appeared in all 46 matches in 2021-22.

North End finished mid-table in 13th position in the end, and Iversen’s influence was evident as he won the Lilywhites a lot of points over the course of the season – so much so that he was named as the club’s Player of the Year.

What do the stats – provided by Wyscout – say though about the 24-year-old’s performances last season?

The main thing managers look for in a goalkeeper is shot-stopping abilities, and Iversen was perhaps one of – if not the best in the whole Championship for that.

In his 46 matches played, Iversen kept 13 clean sheets and made a total of 132 saves, which averages out at 2.87 per match, as he was kept very busy thanks to North End having a bit of a leaky defence for the most part.

And in terms of saves using his reflexes, they accounted for 72 of the stops he