According to a report from The Telegraph, Middlesbrough striker Rudy Gestede has emerged as a possible loan target for fellow EFL Championship outfit Ipswich Town ahead of the January transfer window.
Ipswich Town, led by former Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert, are rooted to the bottom of the Championship table with 14 points from 22 games and are hoping to turn things around in the second half of the campaign. To that end, they have identified Gestede as someone who would be able to get them away from the relegation zone. (h/t The Telegraph)
So, should Middlesbrough allow the 30-year-old to make the switch to the Tractor Boys in January?
Gestede arrived at the Riverside Stadium from Aston Villa in January 2017 in a deal worth £6 million (h/t The Guardian) but hasn’t been able to establish himself as a regular first-team member in his two years at the club. To be fair, injuries did hamper his growth over the course of his stay with the Teessiders.
The Benin international could muster up just one goal in 16 Premier League appearances in the second half of the 2016/17 term as Boro ended up getting relegated to the Championship. Things did not start well for the 30-year-old as he found himself out of Garry Monk’s side early in the subsequent term but was reinstated to the first-team once Tony Pulis took over.
However, a serious injury sustained in February ruled him out for the rest of the season. Having returned to fitness ahead of the 2018/19 term, he was once again out on the sidelines with a pre-season injury. As a result, he has featured just six times across all competitions for the first-team, totalling up to 233 minutes of action with no goal or assist to show for.
Gestede suffered another injury setback towards the end of the last month and hasn’t been involved in Middlesbrough’s last three matches.
The 30-year-old has a solid record in the Championship, having scored 46 goals and registered 17 assists in 159 matches. He fits the profile of strikers that Pulis ideally desires in his teams. However, Gestede has spent nearly two years at the club, making less than fifty appearances and has scored just six goals in the process.
On-loan striker Jordan Hugill is the firm favourite for the starting berth in Pulis’ side with Britt Assombalonga, Ashley Fletcher and Martin Braithwaite providing cover. Moreover, with Boro eyeing a move for Willem II striker Fran Sol in January (h/t TEAMtalk), the time seems right for the club to let go of Gestede.
