£12m Southampton flop gave Middlesbrough and Karanka promotion injection: View | OneFootball

The 2015/16 Championship campaign was one to remember for Middlesbrough supporters.

After a seven-year absence from the top flight, Middlesbrough finally earned promotion back to the Premier League in the 2015/16 campaign, finishing second in the Championship.

Aitor Karanka's men finished four points behind the Champions, Burnley, but just clinched automatic promotion on goal difference, having finished level on points with Brighton in third.

The Boro faithful will look back fondly on the squad they had back then, but one man in particular stood out in the second half of the season, with his much-needed goals.

Gaston Ramirez's career in English football was beginning to dry up in terms of goals, but this all changed when he swapped Southampton for the Riverside Stadium; a move that suited all parties involved.

Gaston Ramirez's disappointing Southampton spell

Prior to his arrival at St Marys, Ramirez was a regular goalscorer in Serie A for Bologna, so when the Saints agreed a deal worth £12 million for the player, excitement was in the air.

There was a lot of pressure on the shoulders of the Uruguayan as he became Southampton's record transfer, so he was expected to be firing on all cylinders. However, this was not quite the case.

His first season saw Ramirez net just five Premier League goals in 20 games and never really kicked on, but unfortunately, this was as good as it was going to get at Southampton for the forward, as he scored just one league goal in the following campaign.

The Uruguayan was beginning to look out of his depth, and a loan move to fellow Premier League side Hull City further proved this, as he once again managed to score just one goal all season.

Considering £12 million was spent on Ramirez back in 2012, the player was considered a huge flop at St Marys, so a move to the Championship seemed the only solution.

Ramirez' Middlesbrough success

The forward signed on loan for Boro for the second half of the 2015/16 season after failing to make a single start for Southampton in the first half.

Middlesbrough were in a tense race for automatic promotion at the time of Ramirez's signing, so it was a slight risk to bring in a reasonably unproven forward. However, his performances over the next few months eliminated all concern and criticism.

In just 15 Championship starts, the Uruguayan scored seven goals and helped Boro get over the line and secure automatic promotion. The side lost just two of Ramirez's 15 starts, and he was certainly their standout performer in the second half of the season.

He became such an important asset to Middlesbrough, so they signed him on a permanent deal ahead of the following season. Ramirez never really kicked on in the Premier League, but he will always be remembered by the Boro faithful for his huge impact on their promotion to the top flight.

As for Southampton, they will look upon that £12 million transfer with huge regret, as he failed to impress and ended up leaving for free.