Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka has confirmed to Gazette Live that he is ‘close’ to completing the signing of Athletic Bilbao striker Enrique ‘Kike’ Sola. No deal will be completed before this weekend’s clash away to strugglers Bristol City, but the deal is almost guaranteed to be complete before their next league game, at home to Nottingham Forest.
The 29-year-old striker has struggled for regular first-team football with Bilbao in recent seasons. Since signing prior to the 2013/14 campaign, he has only featured in 15 league matches, with 11 of those coming as a substitute. He has scored one goal during that time but did score twice in the Copa Del Ray earlier this season. He is best judged on his record with previous club Osasuna, where in his final season he scored nine goals.
Karanka believes that he will be a big asset to the squad and will complement the current players already on the books at the Riverside Stadium. The deal is close to being concluded and Karanka can’t wait to have him on board,
“We are close. He is a player who can bring us something different.
He can play as a striker or a second striker. He can be really good because he can bring us something we don’t have.”
Sola, who has one Spain Under-21 cap and is the current number nine at San Memes, will compete with David Nugent for the role as the first-choice striker in Teesside. He won’t be the only Spanish striker called Kike at Middlesbrough as well!
