Middlesbrough urged to spend £11.2m after Rav van den Berg transfer development | OneFootball

FLW's Middlesbrough fan pundit has given his verdict on the £11.2m fee for Rav van den Berg

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Middlesbrough have agreed a deal with FC Koln for the sale of Rav van den Berg.

According to journalist Dominic Shaw, the Championship side are set to receive €13 (£11.2) million for the defender.

Van den Berg has spent the last two seasons at the Riverside, cementing himself as a key part of the first team squad.

However, he did not feature in Rob Edwards’ side for their opening day of the campaign victory over Swansea City last Saturday.

Middlesbrough urged to reinvest Van den Berg fee

When asked whether the £11.2 million fee is enough for Van den Berg, FLW’s Middlesbrough fan pundit Liam Day suggested it needs to be reinvested back into the squad.

While he believes the club could’ve gotten more for him earlier in the summer, he is fine with the shape of the deal as it is and just wants to see the money put to good use before the market shuts.

“I think at this point with Rav van den Berg we’ve been so desperate for cash to come in, £11.2 million is more than good enough really,” Day told Football League World.

“We’ve got a nice sell-on there it seems as well.

“I’m overall pretty happy with that fee.

“At the start of the summer, I might’ve expected a bit more but with how this window has played out, we need some signings and we need them pretty quickly.

“So, £10 million hopefully goes towards the budget and we can get some real quality in, it’s long overdue.

“It’s needed.

“There’s no doubt Rav van den Berg has a big future ahead of him, and I’m sure he will go on to be a massive player in the future.

“But right now Boro need the money, Van den Berg wanted to leave, he made that clear all summer, he hadn’t seemed too interested and he’s made it very evident he doesn’t want to be here, so I think take the money and reinvest in the team.”

Middlesbrough’s summer business

Middlesbrough have made three signings so far this summer, bringing in Abdoulaye Kanté, Alfie Jones and Callum Brittain.

Boro also received a significant fee for Josh Coburn’s departure to go with the impending departure of Van den Berg.

Up next for Boro is a trip to face Millwall on 16 August in a 3pm kick-off.

Middlesbrough need reinforcements

Middlesbrough made a bright start to the season with a 1-0 win over Swansea City, but this team still needs reinforcements to compete for promotion.

Losing someone of Van den Berg’s calibre is a blow, but Jones’ arrival from Hull City at least means there isn’t a hole in the squad until a replacement is signed.

The club have until 1 September to complete any other business, but supporters will be disappointed if no one else is signed.

At the very least, Boro have been able to hold onto Hayden Hackney and if this sale only strengthens their resolve on the midfielder then that will be a positive.