As per one of the latest reports by Gazette Live, Middlesbrough are interested in luring West Bromwich Albion midfielder, James Morrison, to the Riverside Stadium in the summer. Boro manager, Tony Pulis, had worked with him at the Hawthorns during his time as the gaffer of the Baggies and is well acquainted with the calibre that Morrison possesses.
The appointment of Pulis, made back in December, has proven to be a shrewd move by the club. Under his tutelage, Middlesbrough have been in a decent form of late and have resurfaced as one of the sides eyeing for promotion to the Premier League. The Smoggies have clinched 4 wins in their last 6 league outings and are placed at the 6th spot in the Championship table with 62 points to their name after 38 games.
In quite a drastic contrast, West Bromwich Albion are seemingly likely to get doomed at the end of the campaign. Alan Pardew’s troops are stuck at the bottom of the Premier League standings and are as many as 10 points adrift of the safe zone. The Throstles are likely to lose some of their key players in the summer and Pulis is already looking forward to raiding his former club.
Irrespective of whether the Smoggies get promoted or not, signing Morrison would be an astute move by the club. He has truckloads of experience under his belt, which should come in handy. The midfielder has played over 300 games for West Bromwich Albion and has spent the major chunk of his career with his current employers after moving from Middlesbrough in the summer of 2007.
The 31-year-old might not be a flashy player and might not have a drastic impact on proceedings but he goes about getting his tasks done by making the most of his strengths. He is a calm and composed operator in the middle of the park and is an astute passer of the ball. He knits the side meticulously with his vision and his agility enables him to engineer his way out of tight spaces.
He would offer a gritty presence in the middle of the park for Middlesbrough and despite the fact that he operates best when he is stationed as a central attacking midfielder, he can be effective from deeper positions as well. Although Pulis has the likes of Adam Clayton, Grant Leadbitter and Jonny Howson as their first-choice midfielders, Morrison’s entry could bring a substantial amount of competition among them for a place in Pulis’ starting line-up.