Middlesbrough’s Albert Adomah – Should he stay, or should he go?

If Albert Adomah is too leave Boro, then so be it – but they must have a replacement lined up.

Reports emerged on Saturday night that Middlesbrough winger Adomah had rejected a new contract and now looked set for a move to Championship side Aston Villa.

The news split Boro fans into those who wanted the Ghana international to stay, and those who thought otherwise.

An Instagram post then spread on social media and fans’ forums from Adomah’s brother who criticised the club for offering the winger a disappointing contract – that’s the clean version!

I’m very much in the camp of those who think that if Adomah doesn’t want to be at the club, then we should sell him.

Along with Ben Gibson, George Friend, Adam Forshaw and Daniel Ayala, Adomah was one of the core players that earned promotion last season that Steve Gibson and manager Aitor Karanka felt warranted a new contract.

If Albert isn’t happy with the terms on offer, then thank you, but goodbye.

He’s been through the good and the bad with Boro. He was one of Tony Mowbray’s few players who joined the club for a seven-figure fee and, in a team that struggled that season, he was a shining light for the club.

He’s endeared himself to the fans in his time with the club and, on his day, he was one of the better wingers in the Championship. But if he thinks he is deserving of a bigger contract, even though he has failed to sparkle in the Premier League, it is hard to imagine him staying.

With that being said, if Boro were to sell Adomah before the transfer deadline, they must have a replacement lined up beforehand. Selling the winger without replacing him would leave boss Karanka desperately short of width in the squad.

Fans have already raised some concerns about the manager’s options there anyway so with the potential departure of Adomah, as well as Adam Reach and Carlos De Pena who also look on their way out, Boro wouldn’t exactly be blessed with wide options.

The Ghanaian has scored 26 goals in 143 appearances for Boro since arriving from Bristol City in 2013 – Photo: Offside.

You’d think that for Boro to even consider selling a player who was one of their strongest at times last season, they will have a realistic replacement in mind. That player is also likely to be an upgrade on Adomah.

Boro have been upgrading all over the pitch this summer with Victor Valdes, Marten De Roon and Alvaro Negredo coming in, so it wouldn’t be a huge shock if Boro were lining up a winger as a replacement for the popular forward.

It would be a shame to see Adomah leave the club, he’s done a lot for us and he could easily have left the club while we were still in the Championship. However, if he has chosen to reject a new deal and Boro can get a suitable replacement in before the deadline on Wednesday, then it should time to say goodbye to a player who has given the club three years of service.

Karanka has instilled a philosophy of putting the team before the individual and if Adomah is indeed putting himself before the team with his wage demands, then he is not going to last much longer at the Riverside. His exclusion from the squad against West Brom supports that too.