This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
After a failed move to Portman Road in the summer, Middlesbrough striker, Emmanuel Latte Lath, is once again the subject of interest from Ipswich Town.
January transfer tussle expected for Latte Lath
Ipswich Town and West Ham are possible destinations
According to the latest reports by Tutto Mercato, an Italian news outlet, both West Ham United and Ipswich Town have "asked for information" regarding the striker, ahead of the January transfer window.
Kieran McKenna's side tried to sign the Ivorian in the summer, as they geared up for a Premier League survival battle. The newly-promoted side tabled a £20m bid to sign Latte Lath, but no deal was struck.
Emmanuel Latte Lath - Championship 24/25 (Fotmob)
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*Accurate as of 17th December 2024
Since then, the striker has been in red-hot form for Boro. His linkup with Tommy Conway has been a real positive for Michael Carrick's side, as they look to make a charge towards the promotion places in the second half of the season.
However, the Teesside outfit will face a battle to retain the number nine. Tutto Mercato has also reported that Bundesliga teams are keeping a close eye on the Ipswich target.
West Ham will also be in the market for a striker, as Michail Antonio suffered a season-ending leg injury following a car crash earlier this month. All of this means that Middlesbrough will have to fight tooth and nail if they wish to retain their star man.
Mid-season Ipswich move for Latte Lath is a big risk
emmanuel latte lath against leeds united
Whilst his current club are not challenging the automatic promotion places, they still certainly have an excellent chance to make the play-offs. With some consistent results, Carrick's men could even haul themselves into the automatic promotion hunt.
Ipswich find themselves in the bottom three of the Premier League, but not by much. The Tractor Boys have proved to be competitive, and are starting to pick up some important victories. However, there's still a decent chance that Ipswich and Boro could swap divisions next season, which would be a real blow for Latte Lath, should he move to Portman Road.
But would moving to the Premier League for the second half of the season be worth the risk? Or should he stay put and help Middlesbrough push for promotion? Some of the FLW writers share their thoughts...
Jayden Wilkins
January moves are always risky. A lot of players will come with massively inflated price tags as well, as clubs don't want to lose their star players in the middle of the season.
Considering Ipswich tabled an offer of £20m in the summer, which was rejected, Boro will likely be seeking well over £30m for their star striker in January. Whilst this is an incredible sum of money for a Championship side, they could still struggle to replace Latte Lath with this.
It's clear the Ivorian is too good for the Championship, he's proven that. However, sticking with it for just six more months might be the best bet for him. This lets him assess the situation at Middlesbrough in the summer, and whether they achieve promotion. If they fail to do so, then that will be the right time to move on.
Portman Road ahead of Ipswich Town vs Fulham
Let's not forget that Ipswich could well find themselves a division below Boro next year, should they get relegated and the latter get promoted. If Latte Lath committed to a move in January and that happened, he would no doubt be hugely frustrated, having to endure the Championship again.
It's a big risk for him to head to Portman Road in January. If he wants to leave, he should explore options abroad, or see if a more established Premier League club, such as West Ham, tables a decent offer. Not to mention the competition he'd face from Liam Delap, who's led the line fanatically this season for the Tractor Boys.
All in all, it just seems like the wrong move this January. Latte Lath is better off being patient.
Alfie Burns
There's an element of risk for all parties.
In terms of Latte Lath, he'd be walking away from a team where he's the main man on most occasions to compete with a top young striker in Liam Delap, who has been one of the bright sparks in the Premier League this season. There's no guarantee of minutes and the striker would likely have a big price tag around his neck.
For Boro, presuming they'd get a big fee, there would be people happy enough. However, how can a side saying they are pushing for promotion and trying to convince Michael Carrick their project is worth snubbing potential Premier League jobs for, sell their star striker mid-season? It sends the wrong message.
Then, there's Ipswich. Signing the cream of the Championship over the summer has hardly worked out for them, given they are still fighting for their lives. They've got some good players on their hands, but surely it's Premier League nous they need, not someone without a goal at the level or even a minute of action.
Latte Lath has quality to step-up, no doubt, but him signing for Ipswich is a risk for him and his suitor this January. West Ham would be a better fit, given they are that bit more established. A move there and the view on the player and buyer would completely change.
It's hard not to come back to Boro, though. Unless the money is wild, they surely can't sell in January.