Middlesbrough interested in extending Patrick Bamford's loan

Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka has a close relationship with Jose Mourinho, and thus far, he's used that relationship to help him land talented players from Chelsea on loan. One of those players is Patrick Bamford, and the Boro boss has been impressed by what he's seen from the young striker thus far:

"I'm very pleased with Patrick. He took time to settle in because he arrived in the first international break, and it's always difficult to arrive at a new place without pre-season."

"It's a new place to live, a new club, new team-mates and a new manager. Now he's working really well, scoring goals and I think his confidence is high."

"I don't think we need to speak a lot about Patrick's contract because he's happy here, the club are happy he's here and I am happy having him here. He's always involved with the lads in the changing room, so I couldn't understand why we would have problems extending his loan."

"I would really like him to stay all season and he knows that, but it's not just me. I like to have players here who want to be here and not because I want them to be here."

Given Chelsea's recent history with half season loans, it's hard to imagine that Bamford's won't be extended if both he and Karanka are happy. At the moment, that seems to be the case, so it wouldn't shock me to see an extension agreed upon shortly before the January window opens.

That said, there's really no reason to rush into an extension, as Chelsea leaving their options open seems like the wisest course of action. Keep up the good work at Boro, Patrick.