I think his stats (height 6’ 4”) and playing time (70+ games) have been at very good levels over the last couple of seasons. At 24 in October he is obviously one for the future.
When you look at our six CB’s Fry, Jones, Ayling, Edmundson, Borges and Lenihan, as I said previously there are 3 too many with potential injury records. The later with a big question mark over him.
There are a number on this blog, me included, that were not overly impressed with signing of Edmundson and we should have paid very little for him if anything. As well as Borges did in the second half of last season, I am not totally convinced with him.
According to various websites the Fee was “undisclosed” Eight million dollars or Six in pounds. I cannot see us paying that much. Maybe four plus two in add ons over his five and a half years contract.
Of course we will never know, how much.
MFC website advising that Saturday’s match has been chosen for International broadcast so will only be streamed to “unsold markets”.
https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/2025/august/21/norwich-city-match-selected-for-international-broadcast/ 😎
Ps Werder, you may want to move to Belgium for the day. 😉😎
It's possible that Malanda has been signed with a view to cashing in on Fry in January - since Dael is in the last year of his contract but the club do have an extra year option apparently. Of course €8m (£7m) is a lot of money but if he's a strong good in the air and good passer of the ball then he may be seen as another investment-type player who will increase in value.
I think he signed a 5-year deal so that's less that £1.5m per season - Jones probably won't have much resale value, neither will Lenihan, Edmundson or Ayling - so perhaps the club are confident he's capable of become a top-flight player.
After checking various reports it appears that Malander is costing Boro £5.9m over 5.5 year contract, which equates to just over £1m per year.The Frenchmen had interest from PSV, Club Brugge, Benfica and Norwich City, so to me this looks a decent deal. As for our present CB’s quoted I do not seeing this meaning Fry will be sold in January, I don’t rate Edmonson, will Lenihan ever be fully fit, I don’t see Ayling remaining after this season, if I remember correctly we started last season (or was it the season before 🤔) we started well stocked defensively but with a few weeks we were having to use midfielders as CB’s. I think, even with Malander, Fry and Lenihan (if he gets fit) we will need to buy 1/2 new CB’s next season, so good planning ahead, also if Malander proves to have the potential clubs think he has, we may have a fight to keep him next summer from Premier League vultures, possible big profit 🤔. Then again I am not as negative as some.
Come on BORO.
The injury situation looks better at the minute than for a couple of seasons:
- Seny Dieng back in training this week
- Darragh Leninhan back in training today, not available yet at Norwich
- George Edmundson was on the bench and was booked at Millwall
- Finn Azaz came on and made a goal at Millwall
- Alex Bangura played in the pre-season. A minor knock now?
- Riley McGree played in the pre-season. Will be eased in slowly.
So we have no long term injuries now. We need to see where we are with Bangura and McGree next week, but it looks positive now.Marcus Forss is fit but rusty and has taken part when selected.
Of course new injuries will happen. But let's hope we get a less demanding season with injuries. Up the Boro!
I’m not meaning to be negative. Apart from our lack of success (so far) in recruiting a striker, I’m happy with our work on transfers so far and even happier with our start in the League.
I reacted somewhat negatively to the Malanda signing because I thought this was a strange time to sign another centre-back, which didn’t strike me as a priority right now. But you, werdermouth and Pedro have pointed out some of the possible thinking behind it, which hadn’t occurred to me, and I am persuaded that there is a degree of strategic planning involved in this signing. If Malanda fits in as well as some of our other new boys appear to have done (early days, I know!) then I shall be delighted.
It has been reported in the Yorkshire Post that Sheffield United, West Brom and Middlesbrough are set to battle for the signature of Ben Brereton Diaz. He is at Southampton now.
While at Blackburn, Brereton Diaz scored 47 goals in 176 appearances; since then, he has only scored 10 goals across 68 matches for Villarreal, Southampton and Sheffield United.
I heard from Dom Shaw of the Echo, that this is a no go for the Boro.
Let's hope we have a better striker in mind to challege Tommy Conway. Up the Boro!
Actually, Jarkko, I wouldn’t mind Breretin-Diaz! He scored pretty well at Blackburn and was always a threat. He’s a big, bustling striker who can put himself about a bit and get in defenders’ faces, and he can hold the ball up well. He’s very different to Tommy Conway, so might be a very good foil for him, someone perhaps who could change the focus of the attack if we need to. And he is a Chilean international, isn’t he?
I’m not sure what happened at Villarreal, but both the Sheffield United and Southampton sides he played for were very poor and were both relegated from the Premiership with very few points. I doubt he ever got the service he would have needed to score lots of goals.
@jarkko - Reading about him, I suspect Nypan will become EVERYONE'S favourite. Only for this season, though.
Off to Leyburn on Friday for a long weekend over the August Bank Holiday period. Camping on the field over the road from Tennants' Auction House with the usual view of Middleham, as always. Hopefully the weather will be kind and I trust the BBC Tees commentary will reach my little transistor radio! Have a great weekend to come, everybody!
So it appears Boro have given up on their pursuit of MLS league Max Arfsten and will instead sign Newcastle's left wing-back Matt Targett on a season long loan. Targett (who will be 30 in September) has been frozen out in recent times at the Magpies (just 19 minutes last season) after a £15m move from Villa in 2022.
Assuming he's fit for the season, I think that's a pretty solid plan B option.
@werdermouth It is reported that Boro have not given up on Arfsten and may be back for him in January or next summer which may be easier (and cheaper) to buy 🤔.
Come on BORO.
@andy-r Targett is fit and played for Newcastle throughout pre-season according to the Echo.
Sounds a good option if we can afford part of the EPL salary. I think his weekly wage is £100,000. That is annually £5.2 million.
Up the Boro!
Adds more height to defence/midfield and experience which has been lacking in the past. 😎
It seems they were holding out for a higher transfer fee but I guess much depends on how he performs for the rest of the season and whether he generates more interest from other clubs - lets see what happens with Silvera, Targett and Bangura before it's deemed necessary to pursue him in January - plus whether we still have anything left in the budget!
What's interesting is Max Arsten's salary in the MLS (where there are complicated salary cap rules) was reported as $7,500 a week - which is just over £5,500 - So Targett's £100,000 a week seems a bit crazy given he's not even getting a kick. At some point PL clubs may wonder if they're getting value for money if players in other leagues are happy to play football for a fraction of the wages.
Solid is probably the right word - it seems he fell down the pecking order at Newcastle because of his lack of pace - which is probably OK for a left-back but doesn't seem ideal for a wing-back - Newcastle fans commented that he's not great going forward but is quite good a link-up play in the middle of the pitch. May be useful playing out but doesn't sound as if he'll be much of an attacking threat - more of a defensive option I think especially with that height KP mentioned.
Targett's crossing was good at Villa and Southampton I recall but then we haven't really got a target (pardon the pun) to hit in the box.
I see it as "solid". A dependable, experienced guy much like Brittain on the other side. Nothing to get too excited about but better than what we have over the course of a season. I expect we won't be let down.
Of course, I assume we're paying only a fraction of that £100k/week, though I have to say I'm pretty sceptical of that figure.
I usually feel uneasy about signing players with a long injury record and reports from Newcastle about his ability don’t fill me with a lot of confidence. But what do I know and so I ought to give credit to Boro’s recruitment process.
Tomorrow will be a typical Championship game - no easy games and not sure about the level of performance from Boro and so i will be pleased with a draw.
Don’t think it’s on sky red button
.Philip of Huddersfield
Football is so unpredictable- Doncaster’s young second team beat Boro’s much stronger team 4-0 and then Huddersfield have a comfortable 2-0 win v Doncaster. So Huddersfield should easily beat Boro’s much stronger.
@philip-of-huddersfield = As if football could be considered logical..!!
Had to nip home after setting up at camp (for a medical appointment) but had enough time to scan the recent posts before I set off back to Leyburn. The Wensleydale Show is tomorrow.
My son (I regret to have to admit that he follows the Barcodes) tells me that he thinks Targett would be a good acquisition "at Boro's level" (!!!). My view is that Newcastle had better be paying the bulk of his wages if he is on anything like £100K a week. Does he think he is Iheanacho?
Well, I have to say I am not convinced Matt Targett is the right acquisition for us.
30 year old next month as Werder said and in the last year of his contract. Two sources claim he is the eighth highest earner at Newcastle United on around 5’200’000 a year, one claiming it to be verified.
He signed for United for 15 million in the summer of 2022, after being on loan from the January, from Villa. His first season he made 19 appearances. In his last two seasons he has made the grand total of 10 appearances, 5 league and 5 cup games. As Jarkko said, he has had a pre season and scored against Espanol.
A left footed full back and not a wing back. As for height, Neto Borges is an inch taller at 6 foot 1.
Not the best CV and depending on how much of his salary we are paying, could be expensive overall.
As for Max Arfsten, his Columbus Crew “Guaranteed Annual Compensation (as the Americans call their salary) is, and public knowledge, 389’375.00 Dollars. Approximately £300K.
your facts about Targett convinces me that he is not a good signing. Too much of a costly risk.
Finding a decent full back/ wing back is less difficult than a decent centre forward or an attacking midfielder.
What is in it for Boro ? He will be an expensive signing - there’s no way Newcastle will pay say £90,000 of his reputed £100,000 salary. Whereas if Boro pay say £20,000 to £30,000 then he will be an expensive signing. What guarantees will we get ?
Is he capable or good enough to play a full season ? It’s got to be a big gamble . By comparison , what’s in it for him? A guarantee of his full salary at a nearby club and a chance to restart his career. Not bad eh.
Philip of Huddersfield 👎👎🤔
Middlesbrough have made a move for Lausanne’s Senegalese forward Kaly Sène (Boropolis)
Middlesbrough have made a move for Lausanne’s Senegalese forward Kaly Sène (Boropolis)
7 goals and 5 assists in 35 games last season.
12 goals and 3 assists in 36 games the previous season.
3 goals in 3 games this season.
Yes in terms of a deal for Newcastle - if Targett’s in the last year of his contract then they will get no transfer fee at the end of the loan - so it’s only getting rid of his wages (or a portion of them) where they stand to gain.
So hopefully the numbers are not too high given the club weren’t prepared to pay Jonny Howson’s salary - or indeed offer Hackney 30 grand a week to keep him from moving this season.
Hard to say how good he still is at 30 as the club definitely need a decent left wing-back option if there are long-term doubts over Silvera’s consistency or Bangura’s fitness.
Are we suggesting that the recruitment team aren’t aware of the facts outlined in various posts above and have simply signed Targett on a whim?
The people making those decisions are supposed to be experts in their field and must surely have more knowledge and background info than us fans looking from the outside.
Unless, of course, they’re signing him just to wind up the Diasboro - which I haven’t ruled out entirely !
85 beers, minus your age plus 40 will result in the year you were born….. did it work for you?
85 beers, minus your age plus 40 will result in the year you were born….. did it work for you?
I lost count after my 7th beer... 🍻
Boro are now the only team yet to concede a goal in the Championship this season, as Charlton go 1-0 down at home to Leicester...
Will that still be true at 5 'o'clock I wonder?