Middlesbrough revelation emerges on Ryan Giles following Luton Town move
The left-back may have been heading back to the Riverside if Boro had managed to secure an agreement with Wolves.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Ryan Giles was open to returning to Middlesbrough, but Luton Town secured his signature with a £5m fee, which Boro couldn’t afford.
- Despite his defensive vulnerabilities, Giles’ 12 assists and potential for improvement make him worth the price tag.
- However, Boro also need to strengthen other areas including their forward department.
Luton Town signing Ryan Giles was open to a move back to former loan club Middlesbrough this summer, according to the Northern Echo.
The winger, who was converted into a wing-back and then a full-back at the Riverside, seemingly wasn’t a key part of Wolverhampton Wanderers’ plans and that gave Boro a boost in their quest to bring him back to Teesside.
He had played a big part in guiding Michael Carrick’s side to the play-offs during the latter stages of last season, with the 23-year-old proving to be a major attacking asset down the left-hand side.
Recording 12 assists in 48 competitive appearances, he certainly did enough to put himself in the shop window and has allowed him to remain in the Premier League following his campaign in the Championship last season.
Why did Middlesbrough miss out on Ryan Giles?
Unfortunately for Boro, they were unable to go head-to-head with Luton for his signature because they couldn’t afford the fee it was going to take to lure him away from Molineux permanently.
Teesside Live has reported that the Hatters paid around £5m to secure the 23-year-old’s signature in the end – a steep price tag for Boro who are consigned to another season in the second tier after losing in the play-off semi-final against Coventry City.
Carrick’s side may have cashed in on Djed Spence and Marcus Tavernier last summer – but they have already spent a chunk of that money on incoming players and may have also used this revenue to balance the books.
Are Middlesbrough right not to have paid £5m to sign Ryan Giles?
Giles is at an age where he can still improve considerably and his 12 assists last season makes him worth that £5m price tag alone.
Some would even argue that the Hatters have landed themselves a real bargain, especially with the 23-year-old likely to be heavily involved for them next season at left wing-back.
If Boro could have recruited him for £5m, they probably would have done because the left-back area is definitely one they need to address.
Defensively, he was questionable at times and Ki-Jana Hoever’s goal at the Riverside last season exposed his vulnerabilities.
But as mentioned, he still has plenty of time to improve and would have been an excellent addition to the left-back department, with Hayden Coulson potentially not ready to start every week for a promotion-chasing team yet.
Boro are keen to strengthen other areas though – and they need to ensure they have enough money in the bank to bring a striker in.
They could potentially utilise the loan market – but they may even need to pay a big loan fee if they want to lure a top-quality striker to Teesside.
And they are certainly in need of a replacement for Cameron Archer – because he had a huge amount of quality and the Teesside club may feel the effects of not replacing him if they don’t.
A successor for Jonny Howson will also be needed at some point, so they couldn’t afford to blow the remainder of their budget on Giles.
