At long last, the transfer saga with Emmanuel Latte Lath, one of the Championship’s most talented strikers, seems to be coming to a close. It has been a long road to the striker’s exit, but it appears that time has finally arrived.
Atlanta United has been interested in Middlesbrough’s number nine and have considered him their top target of the window. They have been prepared to break the previous MLS record transfer of $16.2 million to acquire Latte Lath. It appears that Middlesbrough are willing to finally let their man head stateside.
According to Tom Bogert, Atlanta United has finalized the deal and Latte Lath has already completed his medical. The fee appears to be $22 million plus add-ons with Dominic Shaw of The Northern Echo reporting it to be £22.5 million. Final details are being sorted, but it appears that the MLS club finally have their man. He will join Newcastle United’s Miguel Almiron at the club as he also just finalized a deal with the Five Stripes.
Atlanta United One of MLS’ Best Attacks?
With the additions of Almiron and Latte Lath, there is a fair question of whether or not Atlanta possess one of the best attacks in MLS. While that might be a huge claim considering the likes of Inter Miami, Columbus Crew, LAFC, and LA Galaxy, the addition of two talented strikers definitely puts Atlanta square in the discussion.
Latte Lath has been one of the best strikers in England’s second tier having scored twelve goals so far this season. That is third behind the likes of Josh Maja (13) and Borja Sainz (15). Since the Ivorian joined Middlesbrough, he has caused Championship teams with his pace, acceleration, hard work, and sneaky athleticism. His ability to stretch the field can easily give any defense headaches trying to defend him. Quick, instinctive finishing is also an underrated part of his game. On his day, the 26-year-old is an excellent addition to any squad.
Pairing Latte Lath with former Five Stripes legend Miguel Almiron is a deadly combination. Almiron, on his day, is an excellent, pacy winger who can send an excellent cross into the box. He has struggled with injuries during his career, but when healthy, he has shown flashes of an incredible talent. If he can return to his form of old from when he was with Atlanta United, he and Latte Lath could make one of the best partnerships in MLS.
How Will Middlesbrough Replace Latte Lath?
Reports by Dominic Shaw indicate that the Teesiders will replace the Ivorian international before the transfer window ends on Monday. David Stralec of Slovan Bratislava plus three or four more additional targets have been lined up to replace what will be a huge hole in the Middlesbrough attack. Clearly, there has been a lot of groundwork put into this decision, and Middlesbrough’s recruiting staff has recently been on a heater.
With Tommy Conway pushing to soon be back in the Boro lineup, it will be interesting to see how Michael Carrick uses whatever replacement comes in with Conway once he is healthy. Typically Carrick has employed a 4-2-3-1 with either Conway or Latte Lath at the top supported by Ben Doak and a combination of Riley McGree or Delano Burgzorg on the wings and Finn Azaz in the middle. The addition of Morgan Whittaker puts an interesting, yet fun wrinkle in Carrick’s selection dilemma when it comes to his attack. A change in formation might go against what he typically does, but it may depend on who the Teesiders can bring through the door before the window slams shut
The signing of Emmanuel Latte Lath will bring a fresh, yet enjoyable attacking flair to Atlanta United that has been needed for a while at the club. While Middlesbrough will miss the striker, the profit obtained from this sale is incredible and shows how well Boro can scout and recruit seeking gems and turn them into valuable assets to help improve their club should those players be sold. It would not be shocking at all should one of the best Championship strikers becomes one of the up and coming, if not top players in MLS this season.