New Middlesbrough signing had Neil Warnock hooked almost immediately | OneFootball

Sam Byram's journey to Middlesbrough began under former Boro boss Neil Warnock, who brought him to the limelight at Leeds United

Middlesbrough have had a real whirlwind of a summer transfer window, with an onus on exciting young stars coming in, some to replace key members of last season's play-off squad.

At least, that's been the bulk of the business, with Ash Phillips filling the hole left by Dale Fry and the likes of Rokas Pukstas and Sebastian Berhalter, albeit the latter aged 25, coming in for reigning Championship Player of the Season, Hayden Hackney.

It continued all the way into, and past, the deadline, too, with Morgan Whittaker's €13 million move to Colorado Rapids set to be completed after the EFL deadline and Amario Cozier-Duberry coming in to replace him.

Only one man over the age of 25 arrived at the Riverside this summer; former Leeds United full-back Sam Byram, who will provide decent cover and some top-flight experience across the backline after Boro opted not to pursue a permanent deal for former loanee Matt Targett.

Sam Byram's instant impression on Neil Warnock

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Byram got his career back on track at Elland Road following a few injury-plagued years, and showed signs of the player former Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock saw out of the Leeds academy back when he was in the Whites dugout in 2012.

The then-teenager hadn't made a senior squad before the 2012/13 campaign, instead being plucked out of the academy by the veteran boss for pre-season; an opportunity he took with both hands.

“I think we surprised our academy lads by bringing Sam in for pre-season,” Warnock said, after tying the 18-year-old down to a new three-year deal just days following his league debut for the club.

“I don’t think they thought he was ready. But he came training with us, and I just loved him."

Sam Byram would repay Neil Warnock's faith with a breakout campaign at Leeds United and a Premier League move years later

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Byram went from being a massive unknown in the Leeds academy to one of the club's most important players in the space of a year. He missed just two games in the 2012/13 campaign, scored four and assisted five in all competitions.

Warnock's tenure at the club ended in April that season, with Leeds in the midst of what would be five consecutive Championship campaigns finishing between 13th and 15th, but the teenage full-back was a bright spark, and swept home three prizes at the club's end-of-season awards.

Byram won the fans' player, players' player and young player of the year awards at the end of the 2012/13 campaign, and even had reports linking him with a £10 million move to Manchester City.

He ended up staying at Leeds for a further two and a half years, though, and was still one of their standout performers in the Championship. In January 2016, he'd make that long-awaited top-flight move to West Ham United for around £3.7 million.

Sam Byram lost his way somewhat before returning to Leeds United in 2023

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Byram got lost in the shuffle pretty quickly at West Ham. That 2015/16 term was their Europe-pushing season under Slavan Bilic in what was the final year at the Boleyn Ground. He only made 36 appearances for the Hammers before joining Daniel Farke's Norwich City in 2019.

He played quite regularly in the Premier League for the Canaries until a hamstring injury in February 2020 ruled him out for almost two years. Upon his return in December 2021, Farke was gone, Dean Smith was in, and Norwich were flailing at the bottom of the top flight.

It wouldn't be long until he reunited with the German, though, and it also saw him return to where his career started in Leeds. The 32-year-old played a vital role in their two most recent seasons in the Championship, making 70 league and play-off appearances over both years.

To put that into perspective, Byram played 80 league games in the six-and-a-half years he spent away from Leeds. His career may have stalled significantly, but he was able to prove his worth once more, to the point where he's regarded as a strong squad option once again at the top of the second tier.

Middlesbrough are profiting from Neil Warnock's Leeds United gamble 14 years on

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Kim Hellberg's squad looks very exciting, with a lot of youthful players with high ceilings and the potential to become the best in their position at Championship level. What it doesn't have a lot of is top-flight experience.

It's seen through how valuable Luke Ayling is to this Boro side as to what that experience can provide to a squad, and while it's unknown how big a role Byram will play at the Riverside, having him around will benefit more than it'll be detrimental.

How big of a role do you think Sam Byram will play at Middlesbrough this season? Let us know in the comments.

Neil Warnock made a pretty big gamble bringing the full-back to the forefront back in 2012, with no prior first-team experience, but that decision has led to the 77-year-old's former side bringing him in this summer, 14 years later.

Byram only missed 10 league games in Leeds' 100-point campaign a couple of years ago. Middlesbrough fans will be hoping he can have an impact on a similarly successful campaign at his new club.