Middlesbrough have dropped behind league leaders Coventry City in recent weeks, but Kim Hellberg’s side remains in strong contention for one of the two automatic promotion spots come May.

Just a few weeks ago, it appeared that the Championship title fight would go down to the wire, with Middlesbrough and Coventry tied at the second-tier summit.

However, while Coventry has recently enjoyed a solid run of form, Boro have only won two of their previous eight league games, and as a result, they are nine points behind the Sky Blues, with Ipswich Town, Millwall, and Hull City all breathing down their necks.

Creating opportunities has not been an issue on Teesside this season, but reaching the back of the net has, with only Millwall in the league’s top seven scoring fewer than their 59 goals.

Hellberg expressed his dissatisfaction with his team’s offensive during the January transfer window, bringing in Jeremy Sarmiento and Leo Castledine but allowing Delano Burgzorg to depart.

Tommy Conway has frequently been the chosen choice as the club’s primary centre-forward option, and while his off-the-ball performance has been praised, his eight goals and four assists have been misleading.

Another striker option would not have gone astray at Boro, and Hellberg may be asking why the club opted to part ways with one specific player this summer.

Middlesbrough sold Josh Coburn to Millwall for £5 million during the summer window.

Middlesbrough sold players for up to £25 million during the summer transfer window, including Finn Azaz, Rav van den Berg, and Josh Coburn.

Coburn, who had previously played in the youth divisions of Sunderland’s North East rivals, joined Middlesbrough in 2019 and quickly advanced to the club’s first team, thanks to a strong loan spell at Bristol Rovers.

However, the striker struggled to establish himself under Michael Carrick and joined Millwall on loan for the 2024/25 season, scoring only five goals in 20 league games.

Despite this, Alex Neil’s side were willing to shatter their transfer record and spend up to £5 million to bring Coburn back to The Den the following summer, a decision that has yet to pay off but has shown potential.

Coburn, like Mihailo Ivanovic, has been a regular with the team when fit. However, a significant quad injury has hampered his season, limiting him to only 20 league matches thus far.

Since returning to the team, the 23-year-old has shown glimpses of his potential in front of goal, scoring three goals in his past four games, including vital strikes against Derby County and Ipswich Town.

His equaliser against Ipswich was crucial in the race for automatic promotion, putting Millwall within striking distance of the top two while assisting Boro to hold second place for the time being.

Coburn may continue to have a significant impact on the promotion, but it will favor Millwall rather than Middlesbrough, as Hellberg may question why he was even transferred in the first place.

Kim Hellberg could benefit from someone like Josh Coburn at Middlesbrough right now.

With Middlesbrough losing ground in the battle for automatic promotion, Hellberg could use an out-and-out goalscorer in his squad right now.

Although goals have been scattered throughout the squad, with seven players scoring four or more, Boro lack a regular goal threat, with top scorer Morgan Whittaker failing to score since January.

At this juncture in the season, where every point counts, Boro simply cannot afford to be dropping points at the rate they have been in recent weeks, and must find a way to score more frequently.

They lack Coburn’s profile, which includes a more physical presence up front and a willingness to get in behind defenders, whereas Boro prefers to create openings in the opposition area and be more patient in buildup.

While this has advantages, simplicity occasionally wins out, and Hellberg’s lack of a forward option who can run in behind, hold the ball up, and capitalise on high back lines may come back to haunt them if they fail to advance.

With the automatic spots expected to be determined until the final weeks, there is everything to play for, and while Middlesbrough has as strong a shot as anyone, having someone like Coburn would only help their chances.