The Biggest Of Big Deals Means Latte Lath Is a Five Stripe

The reports late Monday afternoon started the successful end of Atlanta United's pursuit of Middlesboro's Emmanuel Latte Lath.

Setting a new MLS record for a player transfer fee at (a reported) $US22-million plus add-ons, the front office closes the door on this purchase as they head to IMG Academy for three more pre-season games over the next week-plus.

The offense Latte Lath has been a part of in the EFL Championship (he's tied for 4th in goals this season with Cardiff City's Callum Robinson at 11) is well known as Boro is involved in a promotion playoff battle at present. But what does he bring to the table for his new teammates...?

SDH AM caught up with the Gazette/Teesside Live Boro beat writer Craig Johns to ask him what he has seen in 2024.

"The first thing you notice is, obviously, the scoring. He's a natural goal scorer and excellent finisher and he needs to be serviced. I wouldn't say he's the type of striker is going to create many of his own chances. He's not going to get on the ball." Johns tells SDH. "But give him the ball in and around the box and nine times out of 10 he'll put it in the back of the net.

"And he's also incredibly fast. He loves running off the last shoulder of a defender and getting in behind. So if you could service him in that way, he's there. He's very good on that side and he loves to press. He's a really, really hard worker and uses that piece really well to kind of hassle defenders when defenders are on the ball. He doesn't give them a moment free really. And he's the kind of striker where he would just be a defender's nightmare because he's constantly on the move.

"He's there and you know he's constantly putting pressure on you when you're on the ball. He's constantly moving about looking for space- looking for a run in behind when his team has the ball. So he's just a really lively player, a really active player and I always say he likes chaos... Emmanuel.

"If you can provide chaos in and around the box, he just has this kind of natural instinct for kind of thriving off that and being in the right place at the right time."

On Deadline Day itself, the largest concern was that Middlesboro had to find their replacement for Latte Lath before completing the deal with Atlanta United. That replacement comes in the form of former Leicester City and current Sevilla player, Kelechi Iheanacho. Iheanacho was introduced to the Boro faithful at their Monday night match with Sunderland and is added to the loan deal of Samuel Iling-Junior and early window purchase of Plymouth Argyle's Morgan Whittaker for the end of the 2025 season as the team chases a promotion playoff spot.

Food For Thought on Latte Lath: The striker is also 8th in the Championship in shots this season (47), 10th in shots on target (25), and all 11 of his goals this season are from inside the 18-yard box (tied for 3rd overall and one goal from the top spot in the category).

Once all the proper paperwork is filed, Emmanuel Latte Lath will now be in the middle of it- both figuratively and literally- for Atlanta United as the new #9.

Let the games in middle Florida begin...