Ipswich Town have been linked with Middlesbrough’s Rudy Gestede.
According to a report in the Telegraph, Ipswich Town boss Paul Lambert is targeting a loan deal for Middlesbrough’s out-of-favour striker Rudy Gestede during the January transfer window.
The report claims Gestede, who cost Boro £6 million as he moved to Teesside from Aston Villa in January 2017, has been made available for transfer and Lambert has since made an initial inquiry for his services.
The 30-year-old has struggled to get going under Boro boss Tony Pulis, making just one Championship start as he finds himself behind the likes of Britt Assombalonga and Jordan Hugill in the pecking order.
But Gestede has a decent record at Championship level, scoring 20 goals in 31 starts for Blackburn Rovers back in the 2014/15 campaign while at 6ft 4inch he is an excellent target man with great strength in the air.
Ipswich have been poor this season, but their latest 1-0 win over Wigan Athletic – only their second league win of the campaign – has offered them hope as they now sit five points adrift of safety at the bottom of the table.
Goals have been a real issue for the Tractor Boys this season, with just 18 strikes in 22 games. Selling top scorers Martyn Waghorn and Joe Garner and not replacing them last summer was a big mistake.
Lambert has tried Jordan Roberts upfront and summer arrival Kayden Jackson, but nether have provided adequate service to Freddie Sears who likes to play off a target man and get in behind the opposite defence.
Gestede would be perfect for that role, and his ability to hold the ball up and bring fellow attacking players into play would allow Ipswich’s wide players to push further forward and cause more damage in the final third.
Lambert has a track record of success in the Championship, helping Norwich City to promotion with Grant Holt a key figure upfront, and bringing in a similar player in Gestede could help kick-start Ipswich’s revival.
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