Rob Edwards says Matt Targett’s experience playing at the highest level made him the standout left wing-back option for Middlesbrough this summer.
Targett joined Boro on a season-long loan from Newcastle United after the club missed out on top target Max Arfsten. Columbus Crew were ultimately clear in their stance that they didn’t want to sell the USA international this summer, prompting Boro to look elsewhere.
Signing a new left wing-back became a priority for Boro after Edwards’ arrival, even though Sammy Silvera surprised everyone by embracing and shining in the role after disappointing in two separate loan spells elsewhere last term. Boro ultimately explored numerous options to fill the gap in their squad, with Charlie Taylor (who ended up joining West Brom from Southampton) one of the names put to them.
On why it was Targett they ultimately chose to pursue, Edwards explained: “He arrives with loads of experience and he’s a very good player who’s played at a very good level for a very long time. He’s got a natural left foot which provides good balance and he’s capable of playing left-back as well as left wing-back. It gives us more strength in depth in that area.
“Clearly, Sammy has been doing very well, but it was an area that we were quite clear we needed to try and bring in more bodies. He’s really hungry to play games and we had some really good discussions at that time when we were thinking about bringing him in. It was really clear he was the right fit for us.”
Targett made quite the first impression for Boro too, debuting last time out against Sheffield United from the bench. Coming on at the break, the 29-year-old played the decisive ball in behind that Tommy Conway run onto to score from.
It was a good start for Targett who has made clear his desire to enjoy a solid season on Teesside after his struggles for game-time at St James’ Park in recent years. Out of contract at Newcastle this summer, it’s extra incentive for the left-back to ensure he does enough to earn a contract somewhere next term.