Neil Warnock's search for a left-sided defender is getting desperate now with less than two weeks remaining in the transfer window.

There has been several names linked to the Riverside in recent months - the likes of Kean Bryan and Ciaron Brown who are both left-footed centre-backs who can play at left-back have done the rounds - however a new name has emerged on Warnock's radar in Jake Bidwell.

The 28-year-old Swansea City man has been linked with a £2.5 million move to Teesside, via The Sun on Sunday (August 15, page 63), with Warnock as well name-checking the former Everton man as a good player.

Would a move from South Wales to Boro be a good switch for Bidwell though?

He is now in the final year of his contract at the Liberty Stadium after signing in the summer 0f 2019 from Queens Park Rangers and made 81 Championship appearances for the Swans under Steve Cooper.

 

 

 

 

Bidwell was mainly used as an attacking full-back or wing-back and the latter is what he has featured as under Russell Martin so far, and you'd imagine that he wouldn't want to lose a player of Bidwell's calibre.

He has competition already where he's at in the form of Ryan Manning, who is being deployed by Martin right now as a left-sided centre-back, and if he chose to switch to Boro he would have similar competition in the form of Marc Bola.

Bola scored on the opening day of the season against Fulham and because of his performances, there's no guarantee that Bidwell would sign as a guaranteed starter - but it's not exactly a bad thing to have two Championship-quality players in one position.

The reported fee of £2.5 million does seem quite on the steep side for a player with less than a year remaining on his contract, but Boro clearly have some money to spend as evidenced with the signing of Martin Payero and their pursuit of Rodrigo Muniz, who is instead heading for Fulham, so if Warnock really wants him he may very well get him.