Middlesbrough head into the international break in a healthy position, having lived up to their expectations as automatic promotion contenders in the early stages of this campaign, but may well be missing a piece or two of the puzzle.

Middlesbrough have emerged as one of the teams to beat in the Championship this season after an excellent start to the campaign under Kim Hellberg.

The Swedish head coach oversaw an incredible summer transfer window, in which the likes of Sebastian Berhalter, Ashley Phillips, Will Lankshear, Radek Vitek, and Max Arfsten headed to Teesside, and that good work off the pitch has so far seemingly translated onto it.

However, for all of their scintillating form and talent across the pitch, Hellberg may feel as though one or two tweaks could be made in January, and may well have his eye on the winter window already to address that.

Kim Hellberg may have one eye on the January window already at Middlesbrough

Boro have tremendous strength and depth across the pitch right now, and targeting areas of weakness is a bit of a tricky task.

The amount of options afforded to Hellberg has allowed him to regularly rotate systems between a back three and back four without necessarily ever becoming weaker.

However, for the attacking talent of Amario Cozier-Duberry, Will Lankshear, Tommy Conway, Jeremy Sarmiento, Myles Peart-Harris, and Kyle Joseph, there remains a distinct lack of consistent quality in the attacking midfield position.

Riley McGree, David Strelec, and Leo Castledine can each fill that void, but the latter two, in particular, have earned extremely few minutes under the Swedish head coach this season, as a prolific option being brought into that area in the winter window shouldn't be ruled out.

Middlesbrough should target out-of-favour Ipswich Town forward Chuba Akpom in an emotional reunion

McGree, 28, has more often than not been Hellberg's preferred choice in the attacking midfield role this campaign, but having failed to find the back of the net in the first 14 games of the season, the Aussie isn't quite putting up the numbers required to help maintain Boro's push for automatic promotion.

The former Birmingham City loanee clearly has talent in abundance, but Hellberg cannot afford to be sentimental, and must be ruthless in January, as a move for former star forward Chuba Akpom ought to be sanctioned this January.

Akpom, 31, scored 28 and assisted twice in 40 Championship games across the 2022/23 campaign as Middlesbrough lost out to Coventry City in the play-off semi-final, and subsequent moves to Ajax, Lille, and Ipswich Town haven't been nearly as fruitful.

Now in the Premier League with the Tractor Boys after his loan move was made permanent in the summer for around £7 million, Akpom has featured sporadically under Gary O'Neil at Portman Road so far this season, but doesn't look to be a major part of plans, and could be allowed to leave the club in the winter if the right offer arrives.

Why Chuba Akpom back to Middlesbrough makes sense

Akpom has been something of a journeyman throughout his career, having played for 12 different professional clubs across his career to date, though he has found nowhere near as much success elsewhere than he did during his time with Middlesbrough.

At the Riverside, Akpom was utilised as the central attacking midfielder in Michael Carrick's 4-2-3-1 shape, with either Marcus Forss or Cameron Archer preferred up front, and in this system, produced incredible numbers that few have ever been able to come close to in the Championship.

Although he won't be the same player now, given he is three or four years older, Akpom knows exactly what that role entails, and in a free-flowing system like Hellberg's, could absolutely thrive and give Will Lankshear a run for his money.

Familiar with his surroundings at the Riverside, Akpom would need little time to adjust, and in what ought to be his peak years as a player, could be the final piece of the puzzle Boro need to end their decade-long wait for a Premier League return.

Would you like to see Chuba Akpom back at Middlesbrough, or has that ship sailed? Share your thoughts below!

Middlesbrough can seal Premier League return with Chuba Akpom switch

If Middlesbrough are able to maintain this level of form throughout the duration of the campaign, then a Premier League return is almost certain.

However, over the course of the year, Boro will surely face some difficulties both on and off the pitch, as every side does, and one or two injuries to key players could completely derail momentum.

Adding someone with the ability, experience, and versatility of Akpom will go a long way to boosting those efforts, as with him at attacking midfield, Cozier-Duberry on the right, Conway on the left, and Lankshear up top, Hellberg's side could be unstoppable.