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Boro 2021/2022 Tran...
 

Boro 2021/2022 Transfer Targets & Rumours

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Club website reporting that our opening game of the season has been moved to Sunday the 8th of August with kick off at 1:30 live on Sky. 😎


   
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Former Hearts striker Uche Ikpeazu has clinched a £1 million move to Middlesbrough.

The bustling former Jambos frontman spent two years at Tynecastle after signing from Cambridge United.

Ikpeazu, who helped Craig Levein’s men reach the Scottish Cup final where they lost to Celtic, returned south of the border when he signed for Wycombe Wanderers.


   
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@original-fat-bob. I wonder if he will be an upgrade and if so as compared to whom - Gestede, Assombalonga? - I should have looked at your youtube clip before posting!! 🤣🤣😎

Ps 249 appearances and 51 goals does not fill me full of confidence that NW has found the secret to solving our non scoring problem; he seems to be purchasing anyone who has had a good game when playing against us!

It's a bit like a cricket captain moving his fielders to positions where the ball has just gone - not a coherent strategy. 😎

This post was modified 3 years ago 2 times by K P in Spain

   
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Selwynoz
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Ikpeazu had a really good game against us and looks to be a genuine target man that Watmore, Ameobi and others could play off. At that price, it’s a steal. Hats off to the club, SG and NW for getting it done. If prices are this low, I wonder what the Cambridge United guy will go for?

utb


   
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jarkko
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I heard it will be £ 750 000 initially and might rise later to one million if he is successful.

Up the Boro! 


   
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Posted by: @original-fat-bob

Former Hearts striker Uche Ikpeazu has clinched a £1 million move to Middlesbrough.

I played a few seasons of Football Manager and took Yeovil from the Vanamara to the Championship. The only transfer that I regard as a complete failure was Ikpeazu. After watching him play against us in real life I thought he would be the pressing forward I needed in the Championship. He scored 1 goal in 2 seasons and spent half of the time injured, the rest of the time complaining.

So here's hoping that Neil Warnock knows more about football than I do... 


   
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Latest Rumour on Twitter

A deal agreed between Banfield & @Boro for midfielder Martín Payero. $8M + 10% of future sale is good business for Banfield & should be completed after the Olympics [via @GerGarciaGrova]

OFB 


   
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Payero was one of the standout players in the Copa Diego Maradona as Banfield reached the final. The 22-year-old has a terrific engine, drives forward with the ball & is a really good passer. Good on set-pieces & can shoot from distance


   
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Saville

MILLWALL are set to seal the sensational permanent return of their former midfielder George Saville from Middlesbrough. 

Saville, 28, is having a medical at the club on Friday almost three years after leaving SE16 in a record deal.

It will be midfielder Saville’s fourth spell at the club after two previous loans and a permanent switch from Wolves in June 2017.

Saville had an excellent season in the Championship, scoring 10 goals, before he left for Boro for £8million in August 2018.

Saville played 118 times for the north-east club and scored 12 goals. He has 10 goals in 66 appearances for the Lions.

OFB


   
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To be honest I’ve never really taken to Saville and whilst it will leave a hole in our midfield I think there are better players who can do the role.

He will also be on a good wage and is in the final year of his contract so it makes sense for him to depart. 

I had heard that his family had not settled in the North East and that personal issues have dictated his move back to Millwall 

So the changes continue 

 

OFB


   
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@original-fat-bob.  I didn't see that one coming but fully understand the reasoning behind it as we know that GS has been left out of the team previously whilst attending to family issues. 

Given our financial situation it makes sense now to let him go provided we can attract as good as or a better replacement.   No mention of a fee involved? 😎


   
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I don't think we have finished paying for Saville so I'd guess it would just show as a financial adjustment of some sort on both sets of books almost like a very expensive loan fee. He will have been on better wages than Boro would currently want to be paying and with a year left on his contract it makes sense to cut our losses now and move on. He certainly tried and never shirked but he isn't the tipping point of Play Offs or not. He can be replaced at a far lower cost, maybe by Mpanzu from Luton?


   
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Lee Peltier has become the club’s fourth signing of the summer.

The Liverpudlian arrives from West Brom and brings a wealth of experience to the Boro dressing room.

Peltier, a product of Liverpool’s Academy, has made over 500 career appearances and was a promotion winner with Neil Warnock’s Cardiff City side in 2018.

A versatile defender he offers both increased competition for places at the back and will provide increased experience within the squad.

Boro boss Warnock said: “I know what Lee can do. He’s fantastic in the dressing room, and we haven’t got many senior pros in there. 

“He can play in a lot of positions – both full backs, centre half, centre midfield… he’s played everywhere for me over the years. I’m aware inside and out what he can do. 

“Darnell Fisher has picked up an injury which we’re not sure how serious it is at this stage so we are thin down that side of the park, and in Pelts I just know what a good defender he is and what he will bring to us.”

Peltier’s career has taken in Huddersfield Town, and Leicester City, where he was signed by Sven-Goran Eriksson, before joining Leeds United during Warnock’s tenure as Elland Road boss.

After a brief return to Huddersfield, he was reunited with Warnock at Cardiff where he made 163 appearances and played a pivotal role in their promotion to the Premier League. Peltier joined West Brom in January 2020 and made a handful of top-flight appearances for the Baggies last term.

OFB


   
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@original-fat-bob

Saville always seemed to be serving time here. He's undoubtedly a decent box-to-box midfielder at the Championship level but he fell foul of us massively overpaying for him then not playing him in his best role. I was critical of him under Pulis and Woodgate because he seemed to be letting games pass him by. Turns out that he was simply being played out of position and doing his best. 

Reminds of me a championship Marten de Roon. Underwhelming when playing for us but a large part of that is the club's fault rather than his.


   
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Peltier's arrival is a strange one, it seems to indicate that Fisher has a really serious if indeed perish the thought, career threatening injury. A fully fit Dijksteel at RB is a very good proposition but the words "fully fit" and "Dijksteel" don't seem to sit together comfortably. Just hope we are not left in a position where we are relying on a 35 year old defender for most of it.


   
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@redcarred.  Might also signal that Djed Spence's day's are numbered. 😎


   
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Posted by: @k-p-in-spain

@redcarred.  Might also signal that Djed Spence's day's are numbered. 😎

I think that one is a given. At this stage I'm still not sure if he is a lightweight defender with attention deficit problems or just a headless speedy winger? There is something lying deep within in terms of skill but it's seemingly too deep to get to at this stage.

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Selwynoz
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I wouldn’t read too much into Peltier. It reads like NW picking up a respected senior pro who he has worked with and who will give him plenty of cover across a range of positions. Not too expensive in wages, I would guess, and a good role model for all the kids.

I always quite liked Saville but we have players coming through and we can pick up a replacement.

Ikpeazu sounds like a good bloke. I hope that he’s a success.

It’s all going well so far.

utb


   
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@selwynoz.  I wish I could share your optimism and whilst I agree that it is going well in terms of adding players to the squad, I am far from convinced about the quality and ability to deliver what we need, particularly with regard to scoring goals given their previous records.

I question what is suddenly going to change for the two attacking players we have recruited who have never reached double figures, for goals scored, in previous seasons.

I appreciate we have limited options given the financial situation and that to a degree we have to take a bit of a gamble when looking to recruit. As such I would prefer that we perhaps look at lower league strikers who have scored regularly in the hope that they can do it at Championship level.  

Peterborough seemed to have developed a knack in uncovering such strikers who end up being successful at our level and are now valued at £10M + so why not try our luck.  Maybe for once we can make rather than break a striker! 😎

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The signings so far don’t fill me with any confidence of leading to success.
A forward who’s been operating in the Scottish League, not a high standard, who doesn’t score many goals and a defender who was let go by the locals here (Huddersfield) as past his best a few years ago. But then he’s a player who’s formerly played for NW and so must be signed.

Interesting transfer of Saville back to Millwall.I always thought there was a potentially better player than we saw. Don’t expect much of a fee as Millwall aren’t big spenders and so the acquisition of the player will go down as expensive. I would be a bit happier if one of their better players was coming in exchange.

I just hope there’s a few players about to come who create a bit more excitement and potential.

Philip of Huddersfield 


   
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After reading about some of the players we have signed, I am not contemplating a successful season at all. The club seems to be scraping the barrell. If any more older players are signed then Rockcliffe could become a convalescent home. 

Never rated Saville, so pleased he has gone.

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Selwynoz
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I think that you may be under-estimating Ikpeazu’s potential and his relevance for a Boro team. He scored and assisted goals in a bottom of the table side and he is a big physical presence who can play back to goal which we haven’t had for years. In fact, since …….?insert a name. He’s only 26 and I’m prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. If we pick up another big guy who can play up front then I see that as job nearly done. 

is there any truth in this Argentinian rumour?

utb

 


   
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Whilst the signings are a far cry from the days of Emmerson, TLF and Ravanelli or Viduka and Hasselbaink they are in the affordability bracket for where we now find ourselves. With Warnock teams synergy has played a huge part no doubt down to having square pegs in square holes and also Players with the right attitude (or at least the right attitude at the time).

Like Selwynoz above I suspect that Ikpeazu will be a battering ram type CF in the Lukakau mold which means problems at set pieces for opponents as well as his hold up play in open play. With say Ameobi and Watmore supporting in and around the box and midfielders like Tav getting forwards it makes sense when you contrast with what went before. Britt couldn't control a ball let alone hold it up, Akpom had a marginally better first touch but couldn't make it count often enough and Fletcher was a complex confusion between attacking wide player or a lightweight version when fit of what Warnock really wanted. 


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My mental state must now be on the wane as I was thinking that England’s match against Ukraine was a semifinal match in the EUROs until I saw the results of last night’s matches. I’d completely forgotten that Spain, Switzerland, Italy and Belgium were still in the competition. I also hadn’t realised that venues included Munich and St Petersburg also, assuming that all matches were either at Wembley or Hampden Park. I suppose following Hartlepool’s promotion campaign had taken my eye off the wider picture. I didn’t even realise that the Wimbledon Tennis fortnight had started, although it holds no interest for me nowadays. I watched some of the Irish Open Golf on Thursday falling asleep at times, and Yorkshire’s win over Lancashire last night which was riveting, but have started meeting up with friends in Aged UK Redcar branch on short walks pushing my new trolley, and listening to music when at home although sleeping through some of it. I imagined the Football season was nearing a close by now, but was genuinely surprised that England’s place would be confirmed tonight if they beat Ukraine, but now I find that Spain and Italy stand in England’s way as well as Denmark or the Czech Republic. I don’t know when the Final is, but assume that the football season in Scotland will have already started by then. We’ve now passed Midsummer’s Day and it’s still not the end of the Football season, little wonder I’m confused and in need of a sabbatical!

This post was modified 3 years ago by Ken Smith

   
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@deleriad

 

saville update

NEIL Warnock says allowing George Saville to return to Millwall was 'the right thing to do' citing personal reasons as a big part in his departure from Boro.

Saville ended his three year stint on Teesside after making over 100 league appearances. He was second in last season's goalscoring charts with six goals. 

Saville made the switch up to Teesside from the Den for a £7 million pound fee three years ago. During last season, Saville was absent from the side after Neil Warnock granted permission for him to miss the game. The Boro boss said he had family emergency to attend to. 

OFB


   
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Saville was one of those signings that just didn’t work out and his return to Millwall is a good one for all involved. It would be far easier to accept if we hadn’t paid at least 2.5x his real worth (and indeed there was far better value than that available) but that just further highlights how poor our spending has been for several years. He’s far from alone in being a very poor value-for-money signing, much as I respect the effort and determination he put into each and every performance.

The transfer fees we’re currently paying are far more appropriate whilst the positions we’re recruiting for and skillsets of the players themselves signal significantly more coherent thinking in my opinion.

The issue is, of course, quality. Right now we look a midtable Chanpionship squad if ever I saw one and there’s nothing to suggest we have the financial muscle to improve on that.

As last season, I expect we’ll go into the campaign more in hope than expectation. Warnock has pulled off miracles before and we can have a better balanced group with qualities more in line with Warnock-ball than before, whilst moving on a number of players who didn’t really want to be with us can only help. Still, it’s more hope than anything else at this stage.

In the meantime, come on England.


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@andy-r.  Good post Andy. 😎


   
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Britt Assombalonga has joined newly-promoted Turkish Super League side Adana Demirspor following his Middlesbrough exit this summer.

The striker, who Boro paid £15 million for in the summer of 2017, was available on a free transfer this summer following his release from Middlesbrough.

But having been the biggest earner at the Boro, Assombalonga's wage demands were always likely to result in a move further afield this summer.

A real Turkey for Turkey !

OFB


   
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I think that Mr Warnock is trying very hard to build a team that will have a real chance to get Boro promoted to the promised land. Let's assume achieves the seemingly impossible and manages to get Boro into the promised land, you know buckets of money, he's got a record of promotions tax will take some beating, the supporters are ecstatic and the purse potentially bulges. Mr Warnock may well wish to retire but what will that do for Boro?

Now, here's where the thesis gets complicated. If that is the case Boro should be planning now for the possibility of promotion because the staff, as we know, will inevitably change if Mr Warnock retires and there's a good chance, a very good chance, that the relegation cycle will be repeated yet again albeit with money in the purse/wallet. Not to be squandered a la Monk.

For me that is one of the big questions that someone at the club should be looking at, we should already be thinking about a manager but not at the last minute when and if Boro are promoted although Mr Warnock does have a good CV there but not for keeping a club up in the top tier.

Now I'm heading into oxymoron land but surely someone at the club is looking at that potential problem and trying to solve the conundrum for the long term, that's where the the forward thinking planning comes into play about the next manager comes in and not one of the usual suspects, please. We've had fire brigade management with the purchase of players but please not the next manager. I do hope that's the case because planning isn't just about the construct of the team it's philosophy, ethos and attitude something Boro have lacked for a long time.

I live in hope, and we all know what that does to you, but Norwich, Burnley and a few other clubs seem to have managed why can't Boro?

Either way I hope, that word again, Boro and Mr Warnock do manage the seemingly impossible and then it's on to more problems.

I've had quick re-read and now I have confirmation I'm Middlesbrough born and bred.

On to England,

UTB,

John

 


   
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