Middlesbrough have announced the signing of former-AS Monaco left-back Williams Kokolo on a two-year deal via their official website.
Kokolo came through the youth ranks at AS Monaco before joining Middlesbrough’s North-East rivals Sunderland back in 2017.
He recently had spells at Darlington in the National League North and has caught the eye of Boro’s scouting network in recent weeks.
The defender is primarily a left-back but can also operate as a wide midfielder or winger, and his versatility could certainly be of use if he is to break into the first team picture in the near future.
Kokolo has signed a two-year deal at The Riverside and is expected to join up with Boro’s academy, where he will be hoping to impress Under-23s Head Coach Graeme Lee. But first-team Head Coach Jonathan Woodgate will also be keen to see what he can offer.
At left-back Middlesbrough already have Hayden Coulson, Marvin Johnson and George Friend at their disposal, and Coulson and Johnson are both able to play higher up the field if needed.
However, with both Johnson and Friend’s contracts up at the end of the season, they could be moving on to new clubs in a bid for Boro to save money and promote youth, which could be Kokolo’s ticket into Woodgate’s squad.
The North-East side has gave many young players from the club’s illustrious academy their debuts this season including the likes of Djed Spence, Aynsley Pears, Nathan Wood, Stephen Walker, Ben Liddle, Tyrone O’Neill and the aforementioned Coulson.
