Here’s 10 of Boro’s
IT was a summer of ambition and a summer of bold spending. Of statement signings.
Of “pace and flair”.
Of hope after the disappointment of the Premier League season.
Nothing excites a large bulk of modern-day football fans more than signings. The summer of 2017 was exciting.
It was one arrival after another. And the arrivals were established and eye-catching. Britt Assombalonga was the most prolific striker in the division and Jonny Howson was one of the most consistent midfielders in the division.
Martin Braithwaite had that exciting element of the unknown about him and Ashley Fletcher had his Manchester United background.
As we know, it didn’t go to plan. It didn’t work for Garry Monk. It never really looked like working for Garry Monk. Boro didn’t get the rewards they were hoping for from their lavish spending but that’s not to say every arrival failed and disappointed.
Assombalonga has scored, Howson has been just about a permanent fixture, Ashley Fletcher is now an important member of the team and Ryan Shotton and Marvin Johnson, who both signed in that summer, have also been crucial for Jonathan Woodgate in the first month and a bit of the season.
And then there’s Darren Randolph.
There isn’t really much to say on Randolph that hasn’t already been said.
Ryan Shotton summed it up superbly.
“Some of the amazing saves he pulls off, I’m just left thinking, ‘How have you done that?’ Darren is so, so good, the number of points he has won for us over the last couple of years is incredible.”
Is Darren Randolph the best signing Boro have made in the last decade?
With more than two dozen clean sheets in two and a bit seasons and an incredible highlight reel of stunning saves, you could easily argue for that being the case.
He’s a seasoned international. And he only cost £5m. He’d just turned 30 at the time. As Woodgate said this week, Randolph has still got years and years left in him. Plenty of players have come and gone in the last decade, arrived and disappointed.
But Randolph has proved to be an inspired bit of business. Plenty of Premier League clubs will be kicking themselves about not beating Boro to him.
Randolph is a class act. But he’s not the only player in the current squad who are among the best signings the club have made in recent years.
Is the No.1 the number one signing? The following 10 players all turned out to be fine additions.
George signed on July 30, 2012. “I think George will be a good signing for us.”
Tony Mowbray was right. And some. He hasn’t been a good signing, he’s been an outstanding signing – on the pitch and off the pitch. The numbers – more than 250 league appearances – don’t even touch the sides when you consider just how much of an impact and a key role Friend has played in the last seven years.
A leader who now loves the club and the area. And he cost £100,000.
In those two seasons at the top end of the Championship under Karanka, Clayton and Leadbitter had an unrivalled partnership.
They just got each other and complemented each other.
Since promotion, Clayton has faced several challenges but came through them all and is still, five years after his arrival, a sure starter in this Boro team.
Marten de Roon arrived but Clayton kept his place. Garry Monk wasn’t keen but Clayton kept his head down, despite later admitting he found it very tough, obviously, to be out of the picture.
Then last season there was the signing of John Obi Mikel.
Clayton has outlasted several arrivals and is still in the side on merit. He sweeps and destroys on the pitch and is a crucial figure in the dressing room.
“They’ve got experience like Clayton, I think he’s a really good player at this level,” said Lee Johnson recently.
On the evidence of his time at Boro, you can’t argue with that assessment.
Dani Ayala was just 23 when he signed for Boro and was looking to settle with security after a few stints on loan.
He’s been a mainstay for Boro ever since his arrival.
His best football came under Karanka and he struck up a close friendship and a superb partnership with Ben Gibson.
You’ll recall Newcastle’s reported interest a few seasons ago. Such was his form at the time, it would have surely taken a bid of £15m+ for Boro to even entertain the offer – and even then it would have likely been rejected.
He’s had difficult times: injuries, red cards and mistakes. But on the whole he’s been a big player at both ends, having scored 16 goals in 149 league starts.
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Aitor Karanka told of how the recruitment team at Boro had alerted him to Bamford’s availability in his first January at the club and the manager then got in touch with Jose Mourinho to discuss the striker.
He signed the following summer, though you’ll recall he spent the first part of that season on the bench or the wing.
“I told him that even though he wasn’t a winger, he still needed to go back and help the full-back.
He laughed at that but he did a massive job for us,” explained Karanka.
He did indeed. Bamford got the role he wanted and made sure he stayed there with a blistering run of form that led to him being named the Championship’s Player of the Year.
Boro, like every Football League club, have had success and failure in the loan market but