Middlesbrough’s key centre back Dani Ayala’s contract is due to expire at the end of this season, with the Spaniard making his 200th appearance for the club recently.

Dani Ayala has been entrusted with the captain’s armband for the majority of this season with ongoing injury issues plaguing club-captain George Friend.

Middlesbrough have endured a very tough start this season in the Championship under new manager Jonathan Woodgate, sitting in 20th position with only two wins from 11 games so far. One of Middlesbrough’s major issues this season has been the drop in defensive performances since Tony Pulis left, and Ayala was key to that

Here, we take a look at three reasons why must address his winding-down contract quickly…

He is a vital part of Boro’s defence

Even though Middlesbrough have started poorly and need to improve quickly if they are to salvage anything, Dani Ayala has been a very important fixture of the team, featuring in almost every game so far.

Middlesbrough must get back on track as quickly as possible and a common way for teams to do this is ensuring they are hard to beat and keeping clean sheets more regularly. Boro will be looking to Ayala for leadership in this area and Boro’s defence will really benefit from him returning to his best.

Much-needed experience in a young side

Dani Ayala may only be 28-years-old but is regarded as one of the most experienced players in the Boro team, and rightly so having made 201 appearances for the club since his arrival and 201 total appearances in the Championship for various clubs. Experience is vital for this squad going forward when things get tough, as they have already. In Woodgate, Boro have got an inexperienced manager only just finding his feet in the job, and he will be calling upon his most reliable players to help him through the tough period they find themselves in.

With a lot of change around him in the past few years, Ayala commented to the club’s official site about making his 200th appearance: “It’s unbelievable, obviously I played with Jonathan Woodgate and now he’s the head coach. Leo was here too under Karanka and he’s come back. 

“When you’re changing year after year, it can feel like you’re just there. But this feels different, like I’m part of the club, I care for it. My two kids were born here, they are four and three, and all they have known is this place.”

Ayala has seen young arrivals join the club and was also saying how as one of the elder statesmen at the club, it is his duty to ensure they settle quickly: “We’ve signed young players, good players who played well in League One last year but its a different league, a different level and they need to adapt.

“You can see the more they play, the more they feel comfortable. As senior players, we need to help them settle.”

They cannot let him leave for nothing

With Dani Ayala’s contract into its last year, he will be free to leave on a Bosman transfer should the club not offer him a new deal, which would be a disastrous development for Middlesbrough.

In players like Ayala, their value is beyond just money-based. With the vast amount of experience he possesses, on top of the bond he has created with the club, Ayala would be extremely difficult to replace, let alone without his own transfer earnings for the club to spend.

Another problem with Ayala leaving for nothing is that this automatically strengthens one of Boro’s rivals should he stay in the division, and again, he would be hard to replace without spending large amounts of money.