I don't want Scotland star to move this January despite step up and huge fee

When Kieran Tierney became Scotland’s most expensive footballer when he left Celtic for Arsenal in 2019, it was unclear when a player from these shores would command such a high transfer fee again. Scott McTominay’s move to Napoli from Manchester United back in August – believed to be in the region of €30m – rivals the sum splashed out on Tierney, but there is now another Scot who is commanding figures around the £25m mark.

Step forward Ben Doak, the precocious young Scotland winger who is currently on loan at Middlesbrough from Liverpool. Doak is all the rage with Scottish fans after bursting into the national team in the autumn, winning six caps and offering a different, creative dimension that the side have been crying out for. There is genuine excitement about what Scotland can achieve this year now that Doak has emerged.

Steve Clarke’s Scotland side face a Nations League relegation play-off against Greece in March before the World Cup qualification campaign begins later in the year. Scotland will face either Portugal or Denmark, the Greeks and Belarus for a place at the 2026 jamboree in North America.

Doak is hitting the headlines right now, though, in the maelstrom that is the transfer window. The chat down south is that English Premier League outfits Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town want the 19-year-old for the second half of the season.

Palace appear to be the keener. Currently 15th in the EPL, six points clear of the relegation zone, they are eyeing Doak to bolster their survival hopes. Manager Oliver Glasner reportedly sanctioned a £10m opening bid to parent club Liverpool that was swiftly booted out. The Reds’ valuation is somewhere close to £25m for a player they procured for buttons from Celtic three years ago.

A penny for Clarke’s thoughts as he no doubt watches on with interest as the Doak situation develops. The Scotland boss’ biggest concern will be game-time for Doak, given that this is the first season in the fledgling career that he has played every week. Doak has made 21 appearances for Middlesbrough this term, scoring twice and laying on six assists. It has no doubt played a part in his ascension to the starting XI for the Scotland team, getting sharper and stronger with each match.

Michael Carrick’s Boro are currently fifth in the Sky Bet Championship, aiming for promotion. Middlesbrough play attractive football and like to attack. Doak sees a lot of the ball, takes on a lot of full-backs. His development is going through the roof at the Riverside Stadium – and he has a nice understanding with fellow Scot and striker Tommy Conway, albeit he is currently sidelined by injury.

Carrick played it cool last weekend after the 1-1 draw with Cardiff when he was asked about Doak’s situation amid the heightened interest in one of his best attackers. “Nothing's changed,” Carrick said. “Loans are loans, that's how it is. In terms of the situation, it's exactly where we are. He [Doak] played today, looked dangerous and created a goal. It is what it is. Nothing has changed from our point of view. I'm pretty calm about it.

“He played today, he played well in spells and looked really dangerous. I have no worries about that. January can throw up different things. Sometimes you can keep players and sometimes you can lose players or teams come in for your players, that's just how it is. Everyone is important but we knew the situation when we got into it.”

While any big-money interest is to be welcomed in a Scottish player, there is a strong argument from anyone of Scottish persuasion that Doak is better off staying where he is, getting a settled season under his belt and returning to Liverpool in the summer to assess his options. Would it be better to play every week for a team challenging at the top end of a division or languishing in a relegation battle with one of the EPL’s lesser lights?

Ipswich are a nice enough team to watch under Kieran McKenna, but sit 18th in the league and are one of the favourites to go down. They signed Jack Clarke for big money from Sunderland – another Championship side – and he has failed to become a regular fixture. At Palace, Doak would not be a guaranteed starter in a team that often gets its width from full-backs in a 3-4-2-1 formation.

Doak is playing well for Middlesbrough, hence the interest. But from a Scotland perspective, keeping one so tender in years starring regularly in a progressive team might well be the best option – then the megabucks move can come.