Middlesbrough opinion: Boro must sign Todd kane to improve team dynamics
According to Hartlepool Mail, Middlesbrough have been credited with an interest in former Chelsea right-back Todd Kane, with reports claiming that Boro manager Jonathan Woodgate is keen to strengthen his full-back department ahead of the upcoming campaign.
Hartlepool Mail understands that Kane is currently a free agent after rejecting a new deal at Stamford Bridge due to lack of first-team opportunities.
Born in Huntingdon, Kane joined Chelsea at the Under-8 level way back in 2011 and rose through the youth ranks before signing his first professional contract with the Blues in 2011.
However, he soon found himself flogged out on loan to other clubs in different leagues as a part of the club’s loan army and, in all honesty, he was never close to making the grade at Stamford Bridge.
The 25-year-old has featured for the likes of Preston, Blackburn Rovers, Nottingham Forest, Bristol City, Oxford United and most-recently Hull City across the various divisions in England, as well as Dutch top-flight clubs Nijmegen and Groningen.
Kane’s loan stint at the KCOM Stadium this past season proved to be the last of his Chelsea career and the versatile defender has decided that it is now time for him to settle down permanently and carve out a reputation for himself, which sounds absolutely logical from the player’s perspective.
The 25-year-old was one of the first names on Nigel Adkins’ team sheet at Hull City this past season, as he scored thrice in 39 appearances and played a wide variety of roles at the back for the Tigers.
Kane originally arrived at Hull City as a right-back but he was fielded largely as a utility player at the back, with his versatility to play as a full-back and as a midfielder in an advanced role on either side of the pitch making him an incredible asset to the Tigers.
Meanwhile, Middlesbrough are yet to make any significant acquisitions in the summer transfer window so far, with Spanish goalkeeper Tomas Mejias’ arrival on a free transfer being the only notable piece of business at the Riverside Stadium.
The fans on Teesside are likely to be frustrated at the lack of transfer activity this summer but the club is probably working hard behind the scenes to get deals over the line, with only a couple of weeks left to run before the transfer deadline in August.
To put things into perspective, Middlesbrough’s links with Todd Kane isn’t likely to get the fans off their feet but bringing him in on a free transfer could prove to be a smart piece of business for Woodgate, who is apparently looking to add more depth to his full-back options.
Jonny Howson has been used on the right-hand side of the backline in pre-season and, while the new manager hasn’t completely ruled out the possibility of him playing there in the competitive fixtures next season, adding Todd Kane to the ranks certainly makes a lot of sense.
Ryan Shotton and Patrick McNair were also deployed at right-back on a few occasions by Tony Pulis last season, however, one can get the feeling that someone like Kane could improve team dynamics with his versatility to play on either side of the backline and also as a winger.
The 25-year-old has quite a lot of Championship experience under his belt, having featured for the likes of Blackburn, Nottingham Forest and most-recently, Hull City in the second-tier as a part of Chelsea’s loan army, meaning that he won’t be much of a gamble for Boro.
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Conclusion
Kane is currently looking for a club to settle down permanently and, keeping that in mind, it won’t be a bad idea for the Teessiders to offer him an escape route.