Middlesbrough’s Martin Braithwaite has impressed during training.
According to TEAMtalk, Middlesbrough manager Jonathan Woodgate is desperate to offload Martin Braithwaite.
The report claims the player is currently picking up a hefty £50,000 per week, contributing to a wage bill which stands as the Championship’s highest among teams without parachute payments.
Braithwaite spent the second part of last season out on loan at Spanish club Leganes. He enjoyed his time in La Liga, but the Spanish club seemingly don’t have the resources to make his deal permanent.
A report in the Gazette in May claimed Boro were even content to take a loss on the player this summer as they seeked a £7 million sale, but no clubs have yet come in for him.
Woodgate singled out Braithwaite for praise following Boro’s recent friendly win over Hartlepool, saying: “He’s been terrific for us in training, he’s been the best player in training, by a country mile. He’s been different class, his attitude has been fantastic, everything we’ve asked him to do he’s done professionally. He’s on the players, he raises the standard of training.”
Braithwaite’s wages, however, means his training and performance levels this summer are irrelevant if he is a financial burden on the club and they can’t move him on.
The Denmark international has plenty of ability. But at 28, it’s questionable whether he represents a viable long-term option for teams abroad while Premier League clubs may see him as an expensive gamble.
Boro’s inability to shift him may be harming their summer transfer plans, with goalkeeper Tomas Mejias their only senior addition to date after he re-joined the Teesside club from Omonia.
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