Despite a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest last weekend, you have to say that Tony Pulis' Middlesbrough look the real deal for promotion this season.

The North East club hadn’t conceded a goal in the league at home, let alone lose a game at the Riverside, before last Saturday’s encounter, which proves how much of a solid outfit Boro really are this season.

Their defeat to the Reds, led by former boss Aitor Karanka, was only their first loss in four league outings, and only their second defeat of the season thus far.

Pulis will be looking to take Boro one step further than his side’s play-off semi-final defeat last term, and with the January transfer window drawing ever closer, now is the time for the Welshman to start drawing up some transfer targets.

Defensively, Boro look more than solid and also look comfortable in midfield since the signing of George Saville from Millwall, but it is perhaps their wide areas where Boro need a bit of work in order to supply the danger-man Britt Assombalonga up top.

Former Boro winger Adama Traore brought electrifying pace and trickery to the side last season, a role that hasn't really been fulfilled ever since his big-money move to Wolves.

But one player who could bring pace and inventory to the Boro side is West Brom outcast Oliver Burke.

Burke was one of the hottest prospects in England after putting in a string of impressive performances for Nottingham Forest a couple of years ago, which then led to a big money move to Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.

Things never really worked out for the Scottish youngster in Germany however, therefore a £15million pound move to West Brom followed in 2017.

Since then, however, Burke has made just four starts for the Baggies in all competitions, and has featured just once for Darren Moore's men in the Championship this season - the 21-year-old hasn't featured since the opening day of the campaign.

For Burke to not have even made Scotland’s under-21 squad is yet another sign of just how far he has fallen in recent times, and the winger must be feeling that an exit from West Brom in January is now needed for the good of his career.

Burke would be a talismanic figure at Middlesbrough, and would be a fantastic addition for the North East club.