Middlesbrough FC made millions from £4m transfer investment | OneFootball

Boro will land few deals as lucrative as Emmanuel Latte Lath

Middlesbrough landed a bargain when they convinced Italian side Atalanta to part with striker Emmanuel Latte Lath in 2023.

He notched double figures in consecutive seasons for Boro, having been plucked from relative obscurity two years ago.

Many at the Riverside Stadium may have wished to see more of the Ivorian given his contributions in the 2024/25 season, but the Championship side received an offer they couldn’t refuse.

Latte Lath was unable to lead a convincing promotion push but, other than that, it’s hard to see a negative in Middlesbrough’s dealings.

Latte Lath was plucked from relative obscurity

The striker was not a name on everyone’s lips long before sealing a move to Boro.

Although he came from Serie A outfit Atalanta, he made only three senior appearances for the side, spending the majority of his adult years in the latter stages of the academy or out on loan.

He recorded his most impressive loan spell the season before his Boro move, netting 16 goals and providing four assists for Swiss side FC St. Gallen 1879.

It may have been those numbers that initially caught the eyes of scouts at Middlesbrough, but it still wasn’t a great deal of evidence to rest a £4million purchase on.

Luckily for them, the gamble paid off, and then some.

Middlesbrough provided Latte Lath a platform to prove himself

Any doubts that the Championship was a jump too far for Latte Lath were soon put to bed, the Ivorian netting a goal in only his second league outing for Boro, against West Brom.

It wasn’t all plain sailing, however.

By March, having faced a spell on the sidelines but still racked up a decent number of appearances, Latte Lath had just five goals to his name. Then he exploded.

In Boro’s final six games of the season, he notched a remarkable eight goals and one assist, confirming his suitability for the level.

Having ended that season on 16 league goals in total and reaching double figures by January the following season, it was only a matter of time before interest arrived.

Boro couldn’t resist cashing in on Latte Lath

Arrive it did, from MLS side Atlanta United, who forked out £22.5m for the striker at the beginning of February.

That works out at nearly five times more than what the club paid for him less than two years before, an incredible return on their investment in such a short time.

Not only was it a record fee received by Middlesbrough, but it also broke the MLS transfer record – despite the good season Latte Lath was having, it would have taken a lot to refuse.

Although, understandably, having somewhat unearthed a gem for a fraction of the player’s true value, fans may have liked to see Latte Lath utilised to break Boro into the upper echelons of the Championship, an offer like that may never arrive again.

It’s a significant fee to receive in the Championship; the sort of money that can be used to invest in the squad and improve in multiple position, so it’s easy to see why Boro accepted it.