Middlesbrough are set to complete the signing of St. Etienne man Harold Moukoudi on-loan, according to L’Equipe.

Jonathan Woodgate acted early in this transfer window to land two of his prime targets, with Patrick Roberts and Lukas Nmecha both arriving from Manchester City in the first few days of the transfer window.

One position that Woodgate has struggled with all season is centre-back as injury issues have kept out each of his recognised players in that position, with Dani Ayala currently facing a lengthy spell out. 

Boro have been operating with three at the back in recent months and this has outlined their lack of depth in that position, with Jonny Howson and Paddy McNair both slotting in there to help cover the position.

However, they appear to be on the verge of helping add some much-needed cover to the defence with the loan acquisition of St. Etienne centre-back Harold Moukoudi, according to French media outlet, L’Equipe.

The Cameroon international hasn’t been a regular feature of the Ligue 1 side this season, making just 11 league appearances so far, having arrived on a free transfer from Le Havre in the summer.

L’Equipe are reporting that the 22-year-old will join Middlesbrough in the Championship in an attempt ‘harden’ before returning to St. Etienne in the summer and making a mark in their first-team, as William Saliba returns to Arsenal.

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The verdict

This is definitely a signing that needed to be done by Woodgate as they are struggling to cope with defensive injuries, meaning that they have been operating with Jonny Howson in defence for too long.

While Middlesbrough have found their feet under the new manager, strengthening was required to help the team mould towards what Woodgate wants for the long-term.

They should be able to get this deal done before the deadline shuts tomorrow night and it will be a massive addition to their squad for the rest of the season.

Moukoudi will need to acclimatise to the English game, having been reportedly sent out on-loan to ‘harden’ up before returning so he may not hit the ground running but at just 22-years-old, he’s definitely going to develop along the season.