Middlesbrough's £6.5m gamble on Premier League youngster failed: View | OneFootball

Highlights

Middlesbrough's 2017 move for West Ham's Ashley Fletcher was commissioned on the basis he'd help fire Boro back to the Premier League.

2016 was a time in which Ashley Fletcher was the name of a bright young prospect in English football, who'd recently earned a Premier League move.

A former Manchester United youth prospect, his successful loan spell at League One outfit Barnsley had caught the eye of top clubs, one of those being West Ham United.

The Hammers swooped to sign the England youth international on a free transfer, following his rejection of a new contract at Old Trafford.

Fletcher would only call East London his home for one season however, as newly relegated Middlesbrough presented an offer that then West Ham boss Slaven Bilic admitted was: "Too good to turn down."

Boro boss Garry Monk shelled out a cool £6.5m on the 21-year-old forward, as his summer campaign of unprecedented spending on Teesside continued.

Unfortunately, Fletcher's time in the North East would prove to be a costly mistake.

Fletcher adds to expensive forward line

Fletcher's arrival at the Riverside Stadium was not the only big money addition Middlesbrough made in the summer of 2017.

Preceeding Fletcher came the signing of Martin Braithwaite, who Boro parted with £9m for, but not before Middlesbrough had broken their record transfer fee to bring Nottingham Forest striker Britt Assombalonga to Teesside for £15m.

Garry Monk was intent on sending a clear message to the rest of the Championship; Middlesbrough weren't planning on an extended stay in the second tier.

Come deadline day of January 2018, however, Fletcher had only been able to find the net once in 16 Championship games per Transfermarkt.

Something wasn't working - testified by the fact Garry Monk had already been replaced by Tony Pulis - and the decision was taken to allow the young striker to make a temporary move away from the club.

Local rivals seek Fletcher's aid

Fletcher would make the short trip up the A19 to Wearside, as he looked to play his role in helping Sunderland stave off what would be the Black Cats' successive relegation, this time to League One.

That didn't go to plan either, as the club finished rock bottom of the Championship that season.

For Fletcher, it was yet another dose of disappointment that the striker couldn't have envisioned he'd be taking just months prior.

He'd return to Teesside having bagged two goals and two assists in 16 league appearances during his time at the Stadium of Light.

Though, with a fresh face in the Middlesbrough dug out in Pulis, Fletcher would have the chance at wiping the slate clean and truly arrive as a Middlesbrough player the following season.

Boro improvement arrives, but it's not enough

In the three seasons that followed after the 2017/18 season, Fletcher would improve upon his production from his debut season.

His best season in a Middlesbrough shirt undoubtedly came in the 2019/2020 season, in which he bagged his only double-figure goal return campaign.

Somewhat ironically perhaps, this also came during Boro's lowest league position during Fletcher's time at the club, as Neil Warnock's side finished 17th during the Covid-affected season.

Amongst a significant number of sub-par performances came some standout moments, however, as there were occasions where Fletcher flashed the ability that once had him touted for the top.

From scoring the "The best goal I've ever scored", to a memorable finish against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup, false dawns of a promising Boro career frustratingly came and went time and time again.

It would be remiss of me to mention that the period in which he was employed as a Middlesbrough player, were by no means the most settled. Multiple managers came and went, as the club struggled to find its identity.

But the story of Fletcher's time in the North East is one of a player who always gave everything he had for the cause, but that just wasn't enough to mark his Boro career down as anything other than an expensive flop.