Middlesbrough's struggles continued at the weekend, after being held to a 1-1 draw at home to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday afternoon.

Tony Pulis' men went 1-0 down thanks to a Charlie Mulgrew strike, straight after Mo Besic was sent off, and even Britt Assombalonga's late strike couldn't galvanise a complete comeback from Boro.

The North East club have now won just two of their last eight league games and have slipped down to 6th in the Sky Bet Championship table, with Pulis admitting after the game that Boro miss former winger Adama Traore's pace and threat going forward.

The Spaniard departed the Riverside Stadium in the summer for Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported fee of £18million, and possessed electrifying pace and creativity going forward.

Having scored just 23 goals in 21 games this season, it's clear that Boro need something else going forward, and with the January transfer window fast approaching, now is the perfect time for Pulis to start drawing up a list of targets.

Here, we take a look at four creative players that would be of use to Boro.

The simple solution to their problems - get Traore back on loan.

Reports have recently surfaced that Boro have approached Wolves to bring Traore back to the Riverside on a loan deal, with the Spanish wide-man making just two starts for Wanderers this term.

As alluded to before, he brings so much pace and power to the side, and would be a tremendous addition.

Another option, should a move for Traore fail to materialise, is Kilmarnock's Jordan Jones.

The Northern Irish winger has produced four assists and has been a standout performer for Scottish Premier League side Kilmarnock this term in their surge up the SPL table.

He may not bring the same amount of pace that Traore brings to the team, but he certainly has end product and would be a great signing for Boro.

Burke is almost certain to leave West Brom in January having made just three league appearances for Albion this term, and Boro should definitely be taking advantage of his situation.

The winger has already proven himself to be a very talented player at this level for Nottingham Forest, and possesses real pace and a threat going forward.

Having been frozen out at West Brom, Burke will be hungry to prove his doubters wrong, and he could be a shrewd signing for Boro.

Brahim Diaz could be another exciting option for Boro.

The Manchester City youngster has already made an impact at City this season, netting a brace in City's Carabao Cup victory over Fulham last month.

It's unlikely that Guardiola will want to sell Diaz, but he will keen for him to endure a loan spell away to gain some game-time and grow as a player, and Boro should definitely be looking at this prospect.