MICHAEL Carrick has assured supporters that Middlesbrough are well prepared to act in the final days of the transfer window ahead of Emmanuel Latte Lath's expected exit.
Boro and Atlanta struck a £22.5m agreement this week, with the striker already said to have completed his medical with the MLS side.
Carrick was non-committal on the matter at his press conference on Friday and reports emerged claiming Latte Lath, who was forced off injured in last week's defeat to Preston, has not yet approved the move, but the expectation at Boro is that the deal will still be wrapped up ahead of Monday's deadline.
“With any player, there is a lot can happen and I can never guarantee anything with any player," said Boro's boss.
"You never know, really, in the grand scheme of things, what might be thrown at us. But certainly, from my point of view at the moment, my focus is on what players we have here and preparing for the next game. Manu has been injured so we’re just seeing how that looks right now. We’ll manage the next few days.
"It’s a transfer window and we understand what that means. There are two sides of the fence. We’ve got good players who other clubs are looking at, and we’re looking at other clubs’ players. That’s how it is. We’ve got to manage it and make the best of it."
RECOMMENDED READING:
He added: “I totally get [supporter concern]. That’s the intrigue for supporters around any transfer window and the interest in what could happen and what could be possible. The football side of it, in any transfer window things can happen. All we can do is be prepared for anything and try and be ahead of the game for whatever scenario could be thrown at us. We have a clear idea of what we’re trying to do to benefit ourselves as much as possible.
“Within any transfer window, we always try to have an idea of the balance of the squad, what it looks like, where we’re strong and where we maybe a little bit light and also, what might happen that’s out of our control. There are various things that you need to prepare for.
"Sometimes it’s us being proactive and taking opportunities when we see them, other times it’s something unexpected but other times there are things we can pre-empt. We’ve got to be ready and it’s up to us to come out of any window in a stronger position, as a team and a club."
Boro have lined up potential replacements for Latte Lath. They've carried out substantial groundwork over the course of the last few months to ensure they were well prepared for the possibility of losing their top scorer.
