Garry Monk’s squad overhaul hasn’t quite worked out so far.
Middlesbrough were the highest spenders in the Championship this summer, splashing out around £50m on transfers.
It hasn’t quite worked out so far for Gary Monk. Boro had set out to challenge for automatic promotion but they currently sit ninth in the Championship, six points off the play-offs.
Monk made 11 signings and have some let him down. Boro’s problem last season was scoring goals.
Monk brought three strikers last summer – Britt Assombalonga, Ashley Fletcher and Martin Braithwaite for a combined total of £30.5m.
Assombalonga has proved his worth, scoring 11 goals so far however Braithwaite and Fletcher have scored just four goals between them.
Braithwaite joined for £9m from Toulouse and was seen as a real coup given there were a number of Premier League clubs interested in him. The Danish international has netted just three times this season, one in his last eight appearances.
Three goals in 12 games isn’t woeful and he has struggled with niggling injuries however, he cost Boro £9m and he’s not quite reached the levels he did in Ligue 1 consistently enough.
Fletcher meanwhile was brought in for £6.5m from West Ham United. He’s only scored one league goal all season, a poor return considering the fee paid. He has started just three games but his form hasn’t merited any more than that.
Elsewhere, it would be harsh to label Jonny Howson and Cyrus Christie as let down’s, on the other hand, they’ve yet to really do enough to be classed as ‘great signings.’
The only player to be labelled in that category has been Assombalonga.
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