Middlesbrough did not strike gold with £15m transfer - Steve Gibson will hope it never happens again | OneFootball

With Premier League dreams, Middlesbrough believed Britt Assombalonga would be the man to fire them there.

Following their relegation back to the Championship in 2017, Middlesbrough went into the following campaign as red-hot favourites to achieve promotion back to the Premier League.

With Garry Monk at the helm and a financial war chest of the likes unseen on Teesside, the man tasked with firing Boro back to the top-flight was ex-Nottingham Forest man Britt Assombalonga, who joined the club for a record £15 million fee ahead of the 2017/18 campaign.

While the Congolese forward proved a reliable figure for the Teessiders throughout his time at the club, the big-money gamble never quite paid off as imagined for the club.

Assombalonga's record prior to Boro move proved he was ready for the next step

Known for his explosive pace, physical strength and clinical nature in front of goal, Assombalonga was commonly known as one of the best goalscorers outside the top-flight, and it would be Middlesbrough who seized the opportunity to give him a chance to fight at the top end of the Championship.

After coming through at Watford, multiple loan spells in non-league football and a highly prolific spell with Peterborough United in 2013/14, the striker made a move to Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2014, where he immediately began to make his name in the second tier.

In a Forest side scrapping at the wrong end of the table, Assombalonga netted 15 goals for the Garibaldi in the 2014/15 term, before an injury-hit campaign saw him make just four Championship appearances a year later.

However, all of his aforementioned attributes were showcased regularly at The City Ground.

Once again at the bottom end of the Championship, Assombalonga proved talismanic in the 2016/17 campaign, with his two goals against Ipswich on the final day securing Forest's place in the Championship at the expense of Blackburn.

After three seasons and 30 Championship goals in a Forest shirt, Assombalonga had proven that he was more than worthy of a step-up to the top end of the division, and it would be Middlesbrough that would pounce.

Middlesbrough's £15 million Assombalonga gamble didn't go to plan

With Monk tasked with overseeing a swift return to the Premier League, Middlesbrough's transfer purse strings were loosened on Teesside over the summer of 2017.

But out of all, no signing had Boro fans as excited at the prospect of guaranteed goals in recent times as the signing of Assombalonga.

However, while he provided a reliable 15 in his debut season, Boro themselves did not make the waves expected in the Championship.

The Teessiders lost their opening match of the campaign against eventual champions Wolves, and Monk was sacked by Christmas with Boro sitting in ninth after just 10 wins in their opening 23 matches of the season.

Tony Pulis arrived and was able to take the club to the play-offs; however, the once-imagined domination of the league seemed light years away.

Towards the back end of the campaign, club-record signing Assombalonga had fallen behind Patrick Bamford in the pecking order before his summer move to Leeds United, and the Premier League dream had ended despite the combined 26 goals between the pair.

Price tag aside, it can be argued that Assombalonga was a more than solid signing for Boro. His output was consistent, if not spectacular, and he was a reliable centre forward at the Riverside while even captaining the side at times.

Over the next three seasons after his debut 17/18 campaign, he would bag 16, 11 and five in all competitions; not the worst return by any means, however, when £15 million fees are being thrown around in the second tier, the demand is much higher.

To make matters worse, the club were unable to recoup any of the money invested as he left on a free transfer in 2021, joining Adana Demirspor, as well as failing to achieve their goal of a return to the Premier League during his Boro stay, and indeed since.

A brilliant player at his best, Assombalonga will always be remembered as one of the best goalscorers outside the top flight. However, the £15 million move to Middlesbrough in 2017 did not work out as imagined for all parties involved, and Boro chairman Steve Gibson will be wary of any deal alike in the future.