Middlesbrough: How is Martin Payero getting on since leaving Boro? | OneFootball

Middlesbrough have enjoyed a massive upturn in form since their very underwhelming start to this Championship season.

Michael Carrick’s side are unbeaten in their last six with five of those being wins. Last time out, they put a very impressive Sunderland side to the sword, winning 4-0 away from home.

This comes after a summer transfer window that had massive ramifications with a number of key players departing.

Among the summer departees was Martin Payero, who left Middlesbrough having failed to make an impact in English football.

How did Martin Payero fare with Middlesbrough?

Payero arrived at the Riverside in the summer of 2021 in the latter stages of Neil Warnock’s tenure.

Turbulence ensued on Teesside with Chris Wilder, who replaced Warnock, unable to succeed before Michael Carrick arrived late last year and changed everything.

Payero made 13 appearances in the 2021/22 league season with six of these being starts - he scored once and assisted once in the Championship.

The following campaign, with Wilder and then Carrick at the helm, there was no route for the Argentine into the first team and so he went on loan Boca Juniors.

Regular football was still out of reach and so, this summer, Payero made this permanent move to Italy. In all his 16 Boro appearances returned one goal and one assist.

How is Martin Payero performing in Serie A thus far?

Payero signed for Serie A side Udinese on a four-year deal as the summer transfer window drew to a close.

The midfielder made this move due to a lack of playing time and he has been involved regularly for his new team already.

Payero has featured in all of Udinese's last five games, starting twice, and amassed 216 minutes in total for the Serie A side. The 25-year-old struggled to nail down a position during his time at the Riverside, featuring across the midfield, but has mostly been used in central or attacking midfield for his new club.

Neither his defensive stats - 0.2 tackles, 0.2 interceptions, 0.8 clearances, and 0 blocks per 90 - nor his offensive ones - 16.4 passes (86.6%), 0.6 key passes, 0.6 dribbles, 1.2 shots, 0.8 times dispossessed, and 1.2 unsuccessful touches per 90 - make for particularly pretty reading ().

Payero looks to be still finding his feet and that will be made harder by the fact his side are struggling. He's yet to taste victory with his new club, a reflection of the tough start to the season endured by Andrea Sottil’s team. They sit 17th in the table, just one point above the drop zone, which represents a poor return.

Last term, Udinese finished 12th with 46 points and were 15 clear of relegation so will have been keen to build on a solid season, which they're yet to do in 2023/24.

In the latest fixture, Payero came on as a substitute for former Watford man Robert Pereyra and in truth, his new side is littered with names that have previously graced the EFL.

The Italian side have strong links to the Hornets which makes the presence of Pereyra and also Hassane Kamara understandable, plus Isaac Success and Joao Ferreira came on as subs as Udinese drew 0-0 with Empoli.

Meanwhile, Festy Ebosele started at right wing-back in this away game, formerly of Derby County, AFC Bournemouth’s Jordan Zemura came off the bench and former Watford duo Domingos Quina and Christian Kabasele remained as unused substitutes.