Middlesbrough FC could find David Nugent 2.0 if they sign star previously earning £125k-a-week | OneFootball

Boro took a gamble on a veteran striker in Nugent a decade ago, and they were massively rewarded for it.

Middlesbrough have been strongly linked with a move for free-agent striker Danny Ings, and it wouldn't be the first time Boro have turned to a veteran centre-forward to fire them to the Premier League.

TeessideLive have confirmed that Boro have held 'positive discussions' with the former West Ham United star, who has left the London Stadium this summer upon the expiration of his contract.

Sky Sports' North East reporter Keith Downie has also stated that a move to Teesside is currently the former England international's best option, and as such, a deal appears likely.

At 32 (will turn 33 on 23 July), Ings is certainly heading towards the twilight of his career, and as such, some understandable concerns have been raised among Boro fans over his potential signing.

However, Middlesbrough aren't strangers to taking a gamble on a veteran centre-forward in the hopes of bagging a deadly goalscorer in the Championship. In fact, a decade ago, Boro truly hit the jackpot when rolling the dice on another fellow England international...

Middlesbrough found pivotal piece of Premier League promotion puzzle with David Nugent

It's summer 2015, and Middlesbrough are licking their wounds after suffering a Championship play-off final heartbreak to Norwich City.

However, after years of having the colour drained from their club during the Gordon Strachan era and the subsequent repair job performed by Tony Mowbray, Boro fans were now returning to the Riverside in their droves after the appointment of Aitor Karanka.

The former assistant manager to José Mourinho at Real Madrid was in the process of concocting the perfect blend of watertight, defensive football, combined with the freedom handed to his flair players in attack to impose their creative talents on opposition defenses.

But, with loanees Patrick Bamford and Jelle Vossen returning to their parent clubs at the conclusion of the 2014/15 season, Karanka needed to sharpen his cutting edge in attack once more.

In order to do so, Middlesbrough parted with £4m to bring Leicester City striker David Nugent to the Riverside. However, similar to the skepticism surrounding Ings currently, there was a similar level of that too regarding this deal.

Nugent was 30 at the time, and was coming off the back of a five-goal season in the Premier League with the Foxes, and as such, £4m - especially a decade ago - seemed like a lot of money for the Championship outfit to splash out on for him.

Those doubts would be quickly swept away though, as Riverside regulars swiftly became acclimatised to what Nugent had done best throughout his career - scoring goals.

Left foot, right foot, head; it didn't matter how or where Nugent got the ball inside the 18-yard-box, he always knew a route to goal.

In 38 Championship games during that memorable 15/16 season on Teesside, he would score eight times and provide a further seven assists, but he would do his best work when Middlesbrough needed it most.

An instantly iconic stoppage-time header against Hull City to send Boro back into the automatic promotion places on matchday 38, and two vital assists for two goals that helped define the club's season.

It was Nugent that put it on a plate for Jordan Rhodes to head home in added time away at Bolton Wanderers on matchday 42, and it was he who knocked it back across goal for Cristhian Stuani to score the crucial goal that saw Boro earn a draw with Brighton on the final day of the season, which was enough to earn them automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Simply without him that year, Middlesbrough wouldn't have won promotion. Once in the top flight, however, Nugent would be pushed firmly down the pecking order thanks in large part to the arrival of Alvaro Negredo, and by January and having only made five appearances in all competitions to that point, he was sold to Derby County for £2.5m.

Middlesbrough could find Nugent-esque success with Danny Ings gamble

Nugent's signing was a Middlesbrough masterstroke, and reaffirmed the notion that it doesn't always have to be young players joining the club - experience can be worth its weight in gold too.

Ings certainly has that in abundance, having made 240 career appearances in the Premier League, as well as just shy of 90 at Championship level.

The former Liverpool, Southampton and Aston Villa striker - among others - has long been renowned for his fox-in-the-box ability, which is similar to Nugent in many ways, as the vast majority of their goals come from intelligent centre-forward play in and around the penalty area.

Some strikers just possess that natural knack for scoring goals, and when fit and playing a prominent role in a team, Ings has proven that he certainly is a player that falls into that category.

Indeed, Ings has made 35 Premier League appearances for West Ham over the last two seasons, but he's only started four of those games.

It's true that the three-cap England international has a long history of injury troubles throughout his career, but the fact he only made 17 appearances in all competitions for the Hammers last season could work in Middlesbrough's favour, as it may mean he's very much fresh and raring to go for 25/26.

Boro have proven themselves to be smart and savvy business operators when it comes to player recruitment over recent years, and so Teessiders will surely entrust that they wouldn't be signing Ings unless it's a financially friendly deal for the club - Ings was said to be earning £125k-a-week at West Ham per Capology's estimates.

If Middlesbrough could keep him fit, then the idea of him playing alongside or simply pushing their excellent young centre-forward in Tommy Conway for game-time next season, will prove difficult for many not to get excited about.

Ings could still bag a serious amount of goals at Championship level, and on a free transfer, there are surely worse bets Boro could make on a centre-forward this summer, and the memory of David Nugent's exploits shouldn't be far from their minds either.