Middlesbrough is in a solid position as a club, and their business this summer has been impressive once more, but there may be a growing sense of remorse about Josh Coburn’s transfer to Millwall last summer.

Middlesbrough missed out on promotion after losing the play-off final to Hull City in dramatic fashion at Wembley Stadium in May, but with their first full season under manager Kim Hellberg, they are expected to fight for the crown this time around.

Competing against the likes of West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in what appears to be an even more crowded second-tier than normal, Borough have recruited an outstanding side.

Some substantial money has been spent, with the largest amount paid for another striker, Will Lankshear, who moved to the Riverside from Tottenham Hotspur for an estimated £14 million.

However, despite Lankshear’s promising start on Teesside, Coburn’s performances at Millwall will make ‘Borough, both the club’s hierarchy and supporters, regret his trade.

Josh Coburn has moved up a level at Millwall.

Josh Coburn, who came through Middlesbrough’s youth, initially showed great potential when on loan at Bristol Rovers, scoring double figures for The Gas in League One.

He had broken through at Borough the previous year and, for a kid on his way up, had made some valuable contributions to the first-team, so when he returned, he was an important part of Middlesbrough’s first-team picture in the 2023-24 season.

Understudy to Emmanuel Latte Lath up front, and with ‘Borough still boasting an impressive attack that included Morgan Rogers, Samuel Silvera, Sam Greenwood, and Marcus Forss, Coburn contributed reasonably well for a player his age and experience as Michael Carrick’s side missed out on the top six and play-off places on the final day of the season.

However, he did not receive overwhelming support from the club or supporters to be the main point, and he was finally loaned out to Millwall for the 2024-25 season.

Josh Coburn’s Pre-26/27 Stats

CLUB

STATS

Middlesbrough

12 goals in 56 games.

Bristol Rovers

Ten goals in forty games.

Millwall

Fifteen goals in 52 games.

Coburn dealt with some frustrating injury issues at The Den, but as a striker facilitator with strong build-up play and all-round abilities, in contrast to the more prolific but one-eyed Mihailo Ivanovic, he once again contributed reasonably well as Millwall missed out on the top six and play-off places on the final day.

His performances were so impressive that Millwall, despite a recent recruitment strategy that has focused on bringing in numerous foreign players, spent heavily to secure him on a permanent basis, with the striker going to South London for a fee of £5 million last summer.

Middlesbrough may regret Josh Coburn’s sale.

Injuries hampered Coburn’s total involvement at Millwall, as they finished third before falling to eventual play-off champions Hull in the semi-finals.

However, his goal scoring statistics improved as he progressed, with nine goals in just 26 Championship outings for Alex Neil’s side.

Still only 23, and not turning 24 until mid-season, the 6 ft 3 in attacker has started the season on fire, with a brace on the opening day as Millwall defeated Bristol City by two goals to nil at Ashton Gate, followed by another strong performance in Millwall’s 3-0 victory over Norwich City.

Middlesbrough, in their eagerness to get back into the Premier League, may have disregarded Coburn’s quality at the time, giving a straight promotion competitor a significant advantage in their own drive to join the top level.

It is extremely rare for a striker to come in and score double digits from the start of their EFL career, especially one with Coburn’s skills, who lets others to shine through his hold-up play and industry rather than being a poacher.

Despite his game being more than poaching, he still managed to score at a reasonable rate for a youngster, and some standout performances should have alerted ‘Borough to his promise and potential, perhaps most notably his all-round performance against Chelsea in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final in the 2023-24 season, when Coburn scored The Smoggies’ only goal.

Underrated at the time, with ‘Borough obviously unwilling to wait or continue to develop Coburn into the player he is currently and will become, despite suggesting he could be, ‘Borough will undoubtedly regret his sale.

Will Lankshear remains a fantastic signing for Middlesbrough.

What will cushion the impact is that the hustle and bustle of Coburn’s performance may be mirrored, or at least copied, by new acquisition Will Lankshear, who may also become more productive in front of goal.

Lankshear scored ‘Boro’s winning goal against Wrexham on debut in the first round of the EFL Cup last season, followed by a match-winning brace when they rallied from behind to defeat Lincoln City on the opening weekend of the Championship season, indicating that they hit the ground running at the Riverside.

Borough created and missed 62 great chances in the second division last season, and they were particularly wasteful in their play-off semi-final defeat to Southampton before being restored into the final due to’spygate’.

Lankshear, who had shown glimpses of being a good finisher in a dismal Oxford United team that produced the second fewest big chances in the division last year, appears to be an answer, if not the solution, to those difficulties.

However, for a cost nearly three times that of what they sold Coburn for, there can’t help but be a sense of ‘what if’ they had stood with their academy graduate and helped him develop into the player he demonstrated he could be and is now developing into at Millwall.