Middlesbrough will hope Britt Assombalonga can fire them to promotion, but they at least have alternatives if his form or fitness fails.
Middlesbrough’s Britt Assombalonga, with 30 league strikes for Nottingham Forest, should guarantee goals in the Championship.
But it does not always work out like that, with Aston Villa believing they had bought a similar guarantee in the form of Ross McCormack last summer before he flopped.
With Assombalonga, too, fitness is a concern; those 30 goals have come across three seasons, with his record made impressive by a record of just 65 Championship appearances.
And so, given these possible worries, Boro’s decision to splash out on attacking competition for their new record buy is a smart one.
Martin Braithwaite joined Rudy Gestede in the Riverside ranks earlier this summer, while Ashley Fletcher also signed on Friday.
Boro’s relegation from the Premier League last season was largely due to a blunt attack, with their promotion campaign a year earlier almost derailed by similar issues.
Admirably, Garry Monk has sought to fix these problems this summer and perhaps the signings of Braithwaite and Fletcher offer the most promising indication that Boro can kick on this term.
One man – in Assombalonga – was unlikely to be able to atone for years of struggle in front of goal, but his fellow forwards can offer insurance and an alternative threat.
Monk will hope there will be plenty more goals to cheer on Teesside in the coming months…
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
