Middlesbrough will be seeking to get back to winning ways when they face Bolton Wanderers at the Toughsheet Community Stadium on Friday night, with one player in particular attracting attention.

Middlesbrough are flying high at the top of the Championship table, with six victories, four draws, and only one defeat in their first eleven games.

Kim Hellberg will be hoping his side can win after being held to a 2-2 draw at home by Cardiff City on Saturday, and he will look to his new summer signings to lead the way.

Middlesbrough signed Amario Cozier-Duberry on loan late in the summer window.

Middlesbrough had one of the best transfer windows in Championship history this summer, as despite signing Radek Vitek, Ashley Phillips, Will Lankshear, Max Arfsten, Kyle Joseph, and Sebastian Berhalter for large fees, they entered September with a positive net spend.

This was owing to the sales of Hayden Hackney and Morgan Whittaker, as well as the revenue generated by Morgan Rogers’ move from Aston Villa to Chelsea.

Excitement was building at the Riverside in the latter stages of the window, and Whittaker’s departure necessitated a replacement, with Amario Cozier-Duberry joining on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion.

Cozier-Duberry, 21, drew interest from a number of Championship clubs, including Stoke City, as exclusively revealed by Football League World, but Borough eventually won the race, as interest in the winger was justified.

Amario Cozier-Duberry had an excellent year on loan with Bolton Wanderers.

Cozier-Duberry came through the ranks at Arsenal before joining Brighton in the summer of 2024. He was loaned out to Blackburn Rovers shortly after, although he struggled to make an impact at Ewood Park.

He moved from the Championship to League One with Bolton Wanderers, signing on loan in the summer of 2025, and it quickly became clear that the England youth international was a step above that level.

Amario Cozier-Duberry’s 2025/26 League One statistics with Bolton Wanderers, courtesy FotMob

Appearances

37

Minutes played

2,651

Goals

9

Assists: 10 xG.

6.40

xA

5.04

Chances created

53

Big opportunities created.

10

successfully dribbled

65

Cozier-Duberry scored nine goals and sent out 10 assists in 37 third-tier games, including the playoffs, and was frequently the focal point of the Trotters’ offence, which also included Mason Burstow, Thierry Gale, and Sam Dalby.

The winger solidified his cult hero status among Bolton supporters by scoring in the play-off final in a 4-1 victory against Stockport County, but he is now poised to transition from hero to villain.

Amario Cozier-Duberry is due to rekindle relations with Bolton Wanderers and Steven Schumacher this Friday.

Bolton host Middlesbrough on Friday night, and despite being new to the division, the Greater Manchester club has proven to be no pushover.

Middlesbrough have only lost one of their last five league games, including victories over Cardiff, Norwich City, and Wolverhampton Wanderers, as well as avoiding defeat away to Southampton. They will be looking to Cozier-Duberry to produce some of his magic.

Bolton fans will be well aware of the winger’s abilities from his time at the club, and Middlesbrough fans have soon discovered why he was so sought after over the summer, with two goals and three assists in six Championship games thus far.

Schumacher knows how to get the most out of the 21-year-old, and now he must keep him as quiet as possible before the pair face off on Friday.

Bolton Wanderers will hope to keep Amario Cozier-Duberry quiet when they play Middlesbrough.

Bolton will be fully aware of Middlesbrough’s overall quality when they host them, and while the focus will be mostly on Cozier-Duberry, this must come at the expense of allowing the rest of Boro’s players to express themselves freely.

It’s going to be an exciting match between a club that was in League One last year and a team that is one game away from the Premier League, with a former star returning to his old haunt.

A Cozier-Duberry goal would be a blow to the Trotters, but regardless of how he plays, the three points are all that matters, as Schumacher and his staff will try tirelessly to counter Kim Hellberg’s dynamic side.