Latte Lath's disappointing Atlanta spell could be over after record Boro exit

Latte Lath joined Atlanta in February 2025, leaving Boro in a £22.5 million deal - which was both a club-record sale and also an MLS transfer record.

The striker started well in the MLS, netting five goals in his first six matches on the back of the 11 goals he’d already scored for Boro in the first half of the Championship campaign.

But things have quickly dried up for the Ivorian. He’s managed just three goals and three assists in his next 39 appearances.

Atlanta failed to qualify for last season’s MLS Playoffs, and finished the midseason World Cup break second bottom of the Eastern Conference.

As league action resumed on Wednesday evening, Latte Lath was a notable absentee from the Atlanta squad which drew 2-2 with Charlotte FC. Before the game, sporting director Chris Henderson told 92-9 The Game radio station that the former Boro man could be headed for the exit door.

Henderson said: "We're having a few conversations around him, and so out of precaution we’ve kept him out of this game. That’s about the extent of what I’m going to say about it at the moment.”

Henderson confirmed that the conversations were with other clubs around a potential exit from the Georgia-based club.

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Latte Lath’s disappointing spell follows a far more fruitful 18 months on Teesside. Signed for around £4m in the summer of 2023, he initially struggled to adapt to the Championship before hitting form at the end of the season to end his first English campaign with 18 goals.

He added a further 11 in the first half of the next season, despite early drama as he didn’t initially travel for a game in Cardiff on transfer deadline day in the summer.

While Boro convinced him to stay at that point, when the January window rolled around, attempts to convince him help fire Boro back to the Premier League - including the promise of a new lucrative contract after promotion - were in vain, as he made clear his desire to leave.

Elsewhere, one player who was in action on the MLS’s return was Boro left-back target Max Arfsten. Boro are known to have a long-term interest in the USA international, but as yet, no fee is agreed between the two clubs, and Arfsten is understood to have a number of interested clubs.

Despite that, he played the full 90 minutes for Columbus as they lost 2-1 to New York City.

Middlesbrough are preparing for a big summer as they look to rebuild from the heartarche of missing out on promotion to the Premier League.

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