AS any avid jigsaw fan will tell you, there’s nothing more frustrating than searching for the missing piece to complete the puzzle. Everything else is in place, but without that final component, the final picture remains incomplete. That has been the situation when it has come to Middlesbrough’s search for a striker this summer.

From the moment last season ended, and it was confirmed that Andraz Sporar, Aaron Connolly and Falorin Balogun would be heading back to their permanent employers, it was clear that Boro’s prospects for the 2022-23 campaign would stand or fall on the identity of the forwards they were able to recruit. Almost three months on, and that is still the case. There are plenty of reasons to be positive about Boro’s prospects this season, but a huge question mark continues to hang over Chris Wilder and his squad.

Throughout the whole of pre-season, Josh Coburn, an unproven teenager who is still to have a full season in the senior ranks, and Duncan Watmore, a winger who can just about do a turn up front, have been Boro’s only attacking options. The arrival of Marcus Forss from Brentford, which was confirmed yesterday afternoon, will rectify the situation to a degree, but even with the Finland international on board, the Teessiders are still extremely short of firepower. Forss was an important part of Brentford’s promotion-winning team two seasons ago, but struggled to make an impact during a loan spell at Hull City in the second half of last term.

In fairness to Wilder and the rest of the recruitment team, Boro are far from the only Championship side to have struggled to recruit strikers this summer. But their need for reinforcements is especially acute and they will surely have to bring in at least another two attacking players before the transfer window closes to have any chance of mounting a viable push for promotion.

A loan deal for Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz has been discussed, and the Brazilian would be a welcome addition 12 months after he turned down the opportunity to move to Teesside in order to sign at Craven Cottage.

Even with Muniz and Forss on board though, Boro would still be light, and while the decision not to shell out £40,000-a-week to sign Dwight Gayle might be justifiable on financial grounds given that Stoke’s new signing turns 33 in October, he is the kind of 20 goal-a-season striker that could make or break the Teessiders’ campaign. Last season, lest we forget, midfielder Matt Crooks topped Boro’s scoring charts with ten goals to his name.

The money should be there now, with Marcus Tavernier set to follow Djed Spence out of the door in a move to Bournemouth that will be worth around £12m, so the challenge between now and the end of next month is for Steve Gibson, Neil Bausor and Kieran Scott to spend it wisely. Solve the attacking conundrum, and the remainder of a squad capable of winning promotion already looks to be in place.

Goalkeeper was a key problem position last season, but while he might provide a few thrills and spills in his ‘sweeper keeper’ role, the arrival of Zack Steffen on loan from Manchester City undoubtedly represents a marked upgrade on last term’s chopping and changing between Joe Lumley and Luke Daniels. With Liam Roberts in place as a more than capable number two – the shot-stopper was named in the League Two Team of the Season last year while with Northampton Town – Boro’s goalkeeping department finally looks well stocked.

The Northern Echo:

The same is true of the defence, where Ryan Giles should be an ideal complement to Isaiah Jones in the twin wing-back berths. Quick, athletic and able to deliver a mean delivery from the left-hand side, Giles’ loan signing from Wolves already looks like a considerable coup, and provided Jones maintains the levels he was displaying last season, Boro should be a real threat on the flanks.

Darragh Lenihan’s arrival increases the options at centre-half – Wilder clearly sees the former Blackburn Rovers man as one of his key dressing-room leaders – and there will be an expectation on Paddy McNair and Dael Fry to fulfil the brief of stepping out of the back three in order to build attacks. Both boast the skillset needed to perform such a task.

Retaining Jonny Howson on a new one-year deal means Wilder does not have to worry about the base of his midfield, with the evergreen 34-year-old having looked as good as ever last season. Tavernier’s impending exit will leave a gap in central midfield that will have to be filled, although the continued presence of Crooks and Riley McGree at least means the departure of the Bournemouth-bound playmaker will not leave a gaping hole in the immediate term.

A lack of midfield depth is an issue, with both Caolon Boyd-Munce and Hayden Hackney seemingly some way off being ready for regular first-team duty, but it is nothing compared to the aforementioned issues in attack. You can have as many creators as you want if you have no one capable of converting chances.

Assuming Boro get another couple of forwards over the line to accompany Forss before the closure of the transfer window, what should be a realistic ambition for the next nine months? Well, given the Teessiders finished seventh in May after a season of considerable upheaval, and with a squad that had chronic issues at either end of the field, it is hardly fanciful to suggest that a top-six finish should be well within their compass.

The three sides relegated from the Premier League last season look strong, with Norwich City and Watford tried and tested when it comes to bouncing straight back, while Sheffield United appear to be building back strongly after their play-off disappointment last term. West Brom should improve under the tutelage of Steve Bruce, but there is no reason why Boro should be fearful of any of those sides, provided their attacking issues are addressed.

The presence of Wilder in the dugout is one of their key strengths, with the former Sheffield United boss a course-and-distance winner when it comes to getting out of the Championship and into the Premier League.

The Northern Echo:

Wilder’s promotion-winning Blades side was not necessarily the most fashionable team in the second tier, and it was hardly overflowing with superstar names. It was an extremely well-drilled unit though, in which every player knew his role, and it played with an energy and intensity that few teams could match.

That will be the blueprint for Boro this season – defensively well-organised, with centre-halves comfortable in possession, a rampaging attacking threat down the flanks, with wing-backs pouring forward to overload the opposition, and effective enough in the 18-yard box to come out on the right side of tight, competitive encounters.

The vast majority of the jigsaw is already in place; by the end of next month, and preferably sooner if possible, the elusive missing piece also has to be slid into position.