Downing is such a dull player to be linked with however, much like Robert Snodgrass, could be a very sensible acquisition.

Building our attack around Benteke requires wingers who are willing to put balls in time and again and that is something that both aforementioned players can provide. They both also possess much needed ability with a dead ball and have the capacity to play a more central role should we look to play someone else out wide.

We needed good crosses and as unspectacular as this is, it may just work.

[Link]

Might be the first bit of business to go through?

If this is true I'd be seriously pissed off if I was Downing. You can't say you will let the bloke leave on loan and then stipulate what league it must be in... just let the guy play football.
Fair enough put a clause in that he can't play for us against Boro but cmon...

I don't see any harm in this move. We are threadbare and need bolstering up.... Also if I remember rightly he played very well at West Ham under Sam so hopefully he could get the best out of him.

Boro fan in peace here, just looking to see what you think of the move.

From our POV Downing doesn't fit the squad. His delivery is good, there's just no ability/willingness to beat a man. He seems to prefer picking the safe option.

He's not been made available for loan, instead he requested a move, the club still see him having a role here so only want to permit a loan to a club in a different division to this one. He can't have any right to complain as he's requested to move, the club have set out the conditions for that. With yourselves being in the mix with us there's literally no benefit for us to let him go to you on loan. Think the only way it will happen is if Big Sam manages to push through a permanent transfer - [Link]

He's offered us very little over the past 18 months, probably mostly down to him and the manager not seeing eye to eye. Big Sam got the best out of him at no.10 at West ham, maybe the same again?