Middlesbrough

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Middlesbrough midfielder Abdoulaye Kante will spend the rest of the season on loan at Saint-Etienne.

Kante only moved to Boro last summer for an undisclosed fee on a five-year contract from French side Troyes.

The Ivory Coast player appeared in five games, but only started one Championship match.

All of those were during Rob Edwards' spell in charge, with Kante yet to play since Kim Hellberg arrived as head coach although he did have surgery on a sports hernia injury in the autumn.

Kante joins with Saint-Etienne fifth in France's Ligue 2.

Image source, Opta

Middlesbrough will look to keep their promotion bid on track when they welcome much-improved Norwich City on Saturday (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Boro - who are second and five points clear of Ipswich in third - have bounced back from a four-game winless run with four straight victories for the second time under Kim Hellberg, having also won his first four games in charge.

The Canaries are now 18th and four points clear of the drop zone after three straight wins and have picked up 24 points in 14 games under Philippe Clement, compared to just nine in the 15 matches before he took over as boss.

• Middlesbrough are unbeaten in their past eight league meetings with Norwich (W5 D3), after losing five straight against them prior to this current run (between September 2017 and November 2020).

• Norwich's most recent Championship away win against Middlesbrough in 2021-22, under Daniel Farke (1-0). Since then, the Canaries are winless in three away trips to face Boro (D1 L2), conceding eight goals and only scoring twice.

• Middlesbrough are looking to win five consecutive Championship matches for the first time since October 2023, in what was a six-game streak under Michael Carrick.

• Middlesbrough's Morgan Whittaker has been directly involved in 10 goals in 12 Championship appearances under Kim Hellberg (7 goals, 3 assists); more than any other player in the division since Hellberg took charge last November.

• Anis Ben Slimane has scored in each of his past three Championship appearances for Norwich, and now has more goals in five league games this term (3) than he managed in 33 outings for the Canaries last season (2).

Bristol City are closing in on a loan deal for Middlesbrough forward Delano Burgzorg, 27. (Bristol Post), external

For more transfer news and rumours, read Thursday's full gossip column here.

Neil Maddison has given his verdict on new Boro signing Jeremy Sarmiento believing the Brighton loanee "fits the bill" as the Teesside club chase promotion.

Former Middlesbrough midfielder Maddison believes that the Ecuador international will improve under boss Kim Hellberg after joining on Tuesday, despite limited game time during a loan spell at Cremonese.

The 23-year-old only made seven appearances while on loan at the Serie A side, all coming from the bench.

"I'm sure [Hellberg] will get a tune out of him," Maddison told BBC Radio Tees.

"He's got a little bit about him in terms of his pace, technically he's very good so I think he fits the bill for the way we play.

"It's another good addition, it gives you another option and I'm just hopeful that he can start firing, and grow under Kim Hellberg."

Listen to Maddison's full thoughts and more Middlesbrough content on BBC Sounds.

Middlesbrough have beaten Birmingham City to a loan deal for Brighton and Ecuador winger Jeremy Sarmiento, which includes an obligation to buy the 23-year-old on a four-and-a-half-year deal for £3.2m. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Monday's gossip column here.

Image source, Shutterstock

Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg says his players delivered an "unbelievable performance" in their 4-0 hammering of Preston North End.

Boro had got home in the early hours of Thursday morning from the win at Stoke City and just over 48 hours later, they shrugged off a lunchtime start to dismantle 10-man North End.

The fourth successive league win halved the gap on leaders Coventry City to three points, while Ipswich Town's defeat at Sheffield United means Boro now have a five-point cushion over the Tractor Boys, who sit third.

"What a performance from the lads, what energy," Hellberg told BBC Radio Tees.

"Going away to play Stoke on a Wednesday night, travelling eight hours back and forth on the bus, having the West Bromwich game before, 16, 17 hours on the bus back and forth, then one day less of rest playing this game on Saturday lunchtime, which is the shortest amount of rest you can get in between games.

"Then to put in that type of energetic performance, that is unbelievable from the players."

Image source, EFL

A new initiative highlighting the work of football club charities has been launched by the English Football League (EFL).

'Scan to Smile' will be rolled out in stadiums across the EFL from Friday until the end of January, with supporters invited to scan QR codes on posters displayed around grounds.

Each scan will unlock a short, uplifting story from a person whose life has been positively impacted by the support of their local club charity.

The subjects tackled include mental health support, combating loneliness, improving physical wellbeing, employability and confidence.

The EFL said it hoped the initiative would use "the reach and influence of football to offer fans a moment of positivity on matchday".

Trevor Birch, chief executive at the EFL, said: "Behind every club are people whose lives have been positively changed through the work and dedication of their local EFL club charity.

"This initiative gives supporters the chance to see that impact first-hand and reminds us that football truly is a force for good."

Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg says several players could return from injury for Saturday's Championship game against Preston North End (12:30 GMT).

Boro have had to cope with a significant injury list - Alfie Jones, Darragh Lenihan, George Edmundson, Callum Brittain, Alex Bangura, Riley McGree, David Strelec and Kaly Sene have all been absent in recent weeks and months.

"I don't know if someone is ready to start but there will be some players back," Hellberg told BBC Radio Tees.

"If they are not back this week, they will be back the next week so it is looking much better for us."

The Teesside club have won their past three league games to sit two points above third-placed Ipswich Town and now face their third game in just over a week.

However, the side's most recent performances have shown the Swede that a congested schedule should not affect how his side perform.

"It cannot be an excuse for us to not bring the best of [our] energy, it cannot be an excuse for someone to not be ready to play," Hellberg added.

"We know that is how it is and we need to bring all the energy in the world to perform. That demands even more from us in that amount of time and how I balance the squad is key."

Listen to the full interview and more Middlesbrough content on BBC Sounds.

Middlesbrough have the chance to cut Coventry's lead to three points with a win over Preston on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

Boro are looking to record four successive league wins for the second time this season.

Preston's promotion challenge is wobbling on the back of successive home defeats by Derby and Hull City in which they have failed to score but they did win their last away game, 2-0 at Bristol City.

• Middlesbrough are unbeaten across their past three home league games against Preston North End (W2 D1), netting nine goals in those matches. Since the start of 2022-23, it is the most goals they've scored on home soil against any side in the Championship.

• Preston North End are unbeaten across their past four league games against Middlesbrough (W2 D2), while they last enjoyed a longer unbeaten run in this fixture between December 1951 and December 1953 (five games).

• Following a 4-0 win against Southampton earlier this month, Middlesbrough are looking to record a clean sheet in consecutive home league games for the first time since their first two at the Riverside this season.

• Preston have lost their past two league games, though both have come at home. They last lost more consecutively in April last season (4).

• Morgan Whittaker has scored six goals in 12 home league appearances for Middlesbrough this season. That is at least three times as many as any of his team-mates at the Riverside (two for David Strelec, Hayden Hackney, Tommy Conway and Dael Fry).

Middlesbrough have reignited their interest in Brighton winger Jeremy Sarmiento and are attempting to hijack Birmingham City's deal for the 23-year-old after Blues had already agreed a permanent transfer for the Ecuador international. (Sky Sports), external

Want to read more EFL transfer news and rumours? Check out Thursday's gossip column in full here.

Middlesbrough midfielder Alan Browne said he is "constantly learning" since being asked to play at right-back in his past three appearances by head coach Kim Hellberg.

The Republic of Ireland international scored his second Boro goal as they regained second place in the Championship with a 2-1 win at Stoke City on Wednesday evening.

"Obviously, I want to get back in the middle. That's where I think I'm best and where I want to play, but I'm happy to do a job for the team wherever that may be, so I've got to enjoy it and learn as much as I can in that position," the 30-year-old told BBC Radio Tees.

"It's great playing under this manager because although you're playing full-back you find yourself in really good areas where you might also find yourself as a midfielder, so I'm constantly learning and hopefully improving every week."

Middlesbrough had to come from a goal down in the Potteries with Browne equalising just after the interval before Tommy Conway scored the winner.

"It was brilliant, quite tiring towards the end, but we did what we had to - showed great character in coming from a goal down away from home," Browne said.

"We stayed calm at difficult times, stuck together, played our own football, and thankfully in the end prevailed."

Middlesbrough host sixth-placed Preston North End on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

Image source, Getty Images

Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg praised his side's second-half showing as they followed up a win at West Brom last Friday with three points at Stoke.

Alan Browne scored one and made the winner for Tommy Conway as Boro went back into the top two in the Championship.

Hellberg told BBC Tees: "It was a terrible first 25 minutes, the worst kind of play, not being brave in your position - but in the second half we had a different attitude and turned the game around.

"I felt we were not sharp, but that's life sometimes. We woke them up at half-time and it was a different story, we were strong.

"We have to focus on ourselves. This period of the season is tough but we have six points from two away games and have scored five goals."

Image source, Shutterstock

All English Football League games across a four-day period in February will begin one minute late to raise awareness for the Every Minute Matters campaign.

The initiative will be in place for 36 matches across the Championship, League One and League Two between 5 and 9 February.

EFL sponsor Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) have been working together since May 2024 to highlight the importance of speed when it comes to performing live-saving CPR.

Later kick-off times will serve as "a stark reminder that every minute matters", the EFL said.

Bristol Rovers defender Tom Lockyer collapsed while playing for Luton Town eight minutes into the Championship play-off final against Coventry in May 2023.

Lockyer then suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch seven months later during a Premier League game at Bournemouth.

"What happened to me can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time," said Lockyer, who is now a BHF ambassador.

"Every year, more than 40,000 people in the UK suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and most of them never make it home.

"I'm here today because of the transformative power of CPR as every minute matters when it comes to saving a life.

"This February, we want everyone to get behind this life-saving initiative, learn the skills and be ready to step in because your actions could give someone else the chance I was given."

Throughout February, the Every Minute Matters campaign will call on fans to learn CPR using the BHF's online RevivR, external tool.

"Each minute without CPR reduces a person's chance of survival, so we're urging fans to learn the skills now, before you ever need them," said Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive of the BHF.

EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch added: "The one minute kick-off adjustment is a simple, powerful reminder that swift CPR can be the difference between life and death."

Image source, BBC Sport

Middlesbrough have turned to other attacking targets after failing to agree a deal with Brighton for 23-year-old Ecuador international Jeremy Sarmiento. (Northern Echo - subscription required), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Check out Tuesday's gossip column here.