The transfer opportunity Michael Carrick says Middlesbrough ‘had to take’ in January
Michael Carrick discusses Mark Travers’ Middlesbrough arrival
According to Michael Carrick, Middlesbrough “had to take” the chance to recruit Mark Travers because of his caliber and background.
This month, Boro was forced to make an unanticipated move to acquire a new goalkeeper after Seny Dieng and Sol Brynn both sustained chronic injuries, leaving Tom Glover as the team’s sole healthy senior keeper. Although Glover didn’t do anything wrong while he was in goal, Shea Connor, 19, filled in for him for a large portion of December and January, placing Boro at serious risk in the event that the Australian international sustained an injury.
As a result, Boro searched the market and was pleasantly surprised to discover that Travers, the keeper for Bournemouth, might be available. The Irish international, who won a promotion with the Cherries, has shown his abilities in Premier League games this season and was eager to play more often because he was trailing Chelsea loanee Kepa in the standings.
Watford was also interested in their man, so Boro had to be patient to land him. At first, Kepa was not allowed to play against his parent club and had to remain at Bournemouth until after a match against Chelsea was finished. Meanwhile, fellow deputy
Will Dennis, the goalie, suffered an injury that nearly derailed Travers’ entire departure strategy. Unfortunately, Travers made the move to Riverside last week and made his debut against Sunderland, making a few excellent stops despite giving away three goals.
Carrick gave the following explanation for the Travers signing: “Trav has adapted exceptionally well. Given Sol and Seny’s injuries, it was obvious that we needed to address the situation and take action. Having Trav here makes us very happy. After Tom [Glover] performed admirably, we brought Trav in to make us satisfied with the goalie position.
He’s at a fantastic age where he has good experience and is a solid goalkeeper. This season, he has participated in a number of really important Premier League games. He is therefore prepared to jump right in and have an influence here. He is an excellent goalie, so we had to seize the chance.
