Middlesbrough will be kicking themselves if Newcastle sign Mbwana Samatta

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Championship strugglers Boro wanted Genk’s Champions League striker Samatta – now he’s a £10m target for Steve Bruce’s Newcastle United.

When Jonathan Woodgate was handed the first managerial job of his career, the brief was rather simple: Bring attacking, free flowing football back to Middlesbrough and win over the supporters who had been driven away by Tony Pulis’ patented brand of uber-pragmatism.

But with Boro stuck in the Championship relegation zone, and with a grand total of zero goals in their last four games, it is safe to say Woodgate is falling well short of expectations so far.

Though the rookie manager cannot take all of the blame.

Between them, Britt Assombalonga, Ashley Fletcher and Rudy Gestede have scored just five goals in a combined 33 league appearances this season. They say a bad workman always blames his tools but you cannot expect Woodgate to build a brand new house with a broken spanner and a hammer without a handle.

And, just to add to the frustration which is starting to bubble over at the Riverside, a prolific centre-forward who has been linked with Middlesbrough ever since December could soon be on his way to the north east – to join rivals Newcastle United.

That is according to the ever-reliable BBC anyway, who claim that the Magpies could sign Genk talisman Mbwana Samatta for just £10 million thanks to a very affordable release clause in his contract.

This comes just three months after Middlesbrough were showing an interest in a striker whose 32 goals in 2018/19 helped fire Genk to the Belgian top flight title (Northern Echo).

These days, Samatta is shining in the Champions League rather than the Championship, giving Liverpool an almighty scare when he sent a soaring header into the Anfield net on Tuesday night.

As such, the chances of the Tanzania international joining a club who suddenly find themselves in danger of relegation to the third tier look more slim than Christian Bale in a bleak psychological thriller, especially with a number of top flight sides showing an interest.

Could Samatta fire Newcastle into the safety of mid-table as Middlesbrough toil near the trapdoor? That is a blow Woodgate really doesn’t need right now.