Gareth Southgate is reportedly lining up a January move for Arsenal's Jeremie Aliadiere.
Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate is reportedly lining up a January move for Arsenal's Jeremie Aliadiere.Southgate is keen to add a pacey front-man to his squad next month and is hoping to land Aliadiere on loan until the end of the season.
The French striker has found first-team opportunities at Arsenal few and far between because of injuries and squad depth.
He has previously had spells on loan at Celtic, Wolves and West Ham and could again find himself shipped out in January to gain further first-team experience.
According to reports in the North East, Boro is one possible destination for the 23-year-old as Southgate looks to improve his striking options for the second half of the season.
Southgate has also been linked with a bid for highly-rated Preston North End striker David Nugent.
Meanwhile, Boro midfielder Lee Cattermole believes the Christmas period will be key in their season.
The Teessiders are currently three points above the relegation zone and Cattermole expects the next five games to determine where they will be challenging.
"We are definitely looking positively. We want to get into the top half of the table - that is where we belong," he said.
"We do not want to be down here fighting to keep out of relegation, we want to be up there challenging the likes of Everton and people like that who are up there. The league form has not been the best and we are hoping to pick up.
"Over this Christmas period, we have got a lot of winnable games, so hopefully we will pick up.
"This is a massive period for us, this Christmas period. It is good in a way because there are a lot of games and a lot of chances of picking points up."
