Middlesbrough should join Nottingham Forest and West Brom in pursuit of Rangers deal: Opinion

It’s hard not to be impressed with the business that Middlesbrough have done in the January transfer window, with Chris Wilder adding some real quality to his squad. 

Boro beat out a host of EFL clubs to land Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun on loan and hijacked Celtic’s move for attacking midfielder Riley McGree while signing Brighton forward Aaron Connolly for the rest of the season also looks like a shrewd move.

The North East club have backed Wilder this month already as they look to give him the tools to launch a promotion push in the second half of the 2021/22 campaign and if no more business was done there could be few complaints but there is one move they should be considering – a pre-contract for Rangers centre-back Connor Goldson

Goldson’s current deal is set to expire in the summer and as he is yet to agree new terms, it appears he is set to leave Ibrox and is drawing Championship attention.

According to the Scottish Sun, Nottingham Forest and West Bromwich Albion are vying to sign him on a pre-contract, which would mean that a transfer fee doesn’t need to be paid but that the player’s arrival would be delayed until the summer.

If the opportunity to land Goldson is there, then Boro should ensure they’re in pursuit.

Wilder’s use of overlapping centre-backs is very well documented and the Gers’ defender’s capabilities both in possession and in the final third would appear to make him a good fit for the Teessiders’ system.

Goldson and the North East club are likely to share aspirations of returning to the Premier League as well, which should make the project that is being built at the Riverside an attractive proposition for him.

Wilder does currently have some strong options at centre-back but Dael Fry has