Why Danny Batth’s addition has made Middlesbrough stronger
According to the reports in BBC, Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Danny Batth joined Championship club Middlesbrough on a season-long loan. The 27-year-old was a captain at the Molineux but hasn’t been able to feature for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men this term. So a move to the riverside makes sense.
Batth made 21 appearances last season when Wolves made their journey back to the English top-flight. But Nuno has preferred a back-three of Conor Coady, Ryan Bennett and Willy Boly this season so far. The club captain has been offloaded so that he can get some much-needed game time at Middlesbrough, managed by Tony Pulis.
Here’s why the addition of the 27-year-old has made Boro stronger defensively:
Batth is an experienced and a well-versed defender who knows how to do things at the highest level in Championship football. He was the captain of a team that got promoted to the Premier League last season.
Dipping into some stats from last year, Batth was a commanding defender at the back, winning an average of 4.1 aerial duels per game. This means that he possesses the ability to shrug off centre-forwards with ease.
He had a tackle and interception rate of 1.5 and 1.3 per game respectively, which indicates his propensity of delivering the goods at the back. The 27-year-old has a passing accuracy of more than 77%, which means he is very good in possession.
In Tony Pulis’ defensive system, Batth is certain to be a fantastic addition. The club is currently second in the Championship table, below leaders Leeds United on goal difference. Hence, getting an experienced player like Batth will be a huge boost, as everyone knows that he has the experience of achieving promotion last season.
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Verdict
This is a very good season-long deal for all parties involved. Batth might not have had regular game time this season at Wolves, so he has moved on for this season.
Meanwhile, for Middlesbrough, they needed a player with the experience of achieving promotion, which they’ve got now. Expect this to be the most effective loan deal of the season.
Stats Courtesy – Whoscored.com (Danny Batth’s stats of 2017/18 season)