Middlesbrough should've hit the jackpot with £1m Aston Villa stalwart - it failed badly | OneFootball

The 'mighty atom' made over 250 appearances and won the League Cup for Villa in 1996.

When Middlesbrough signed experienced left-back Alan Wright on a free transfer in the summer of 2003, it appeared to be a good piece of business for Steve McClaren's project.

Known as 'the mighty atom' due to being 5ft 4in, Wright had just concluded an eight-year stint at Aston Villa - where he had made over 250 appearances and won the League Cup in 1996 - the same year he scored a volley against Boro.

Former Manchester United assistant McClaren had guided Boro to respectable mid-table finishes prior to Wright's arrival - with the club sitting in a secure 11th position after 02/03.

Wright had previously commanded a £1m fee when moving from Blackburn Rovers to Villa in 1995, so the deal was probably seen as somewhat of a masterstroke on paper.

How Alan Wright fared for Middlesbrough

Unfortunately for all concerned, Wright's Middlesbrough career would prove to be very, very brief.

The then-31-year-old managed just two appearances for the club before finding himself surplus to requirements - his limited involvement coincided with Boro's difficult start to the season, during which they lost four of their first five games.

It was expected that Wright's arrival would have provided natural competition for left-back with French defender Franck Queudrue, who was suspended for the first five Premier League games of the 03/04 season - that being a leading reason why Wright was signed by Boro - but it quickly became apparent the latter was McClaren's favourite upon his return to the side.

Having made 31 appearances in that position during the previous season, the Frenchman was later lauded by McClaren as a player who "was fantastic - he was exciting, had typical French flair, could get up and down that line and do wonderful things."

Experienced and versatile defender Colin Cooper was also at home at the left-back spot, and despite spending a short time on loan with local rivals Sunderland that season, the Durham-born defender established himself as Queudrue's deputy in that position.

So, just a couple months after signing and after only two first-team appearances, Wright was already being loaned out to Sheffield United in October 2003 - a clear indication that his Boro career was effectively over before it had truly begun.

The loan move to Bramall Lane was made permanent in January 2004, with Wright joining Neil Warnock's side for an undisclosed fee, where he would go on to stay until 2007.

Wright would make 50 appearances for Blades, and also spent time out on loan with the likes of Derby County, Leeds United, Cardiff City, Nottingham Forest and Doncaster Rovers respectively.

Alan Wright missed out on another League Cup win at Middlesbrough

The 03/04 season resulted in Boro winning the League Cup against Bolton Wanderers - and, of course, Wright won the same competition years earlier with Villa in 95/96.

The Teesside outfit had gone 128 years without major silverware, and maybe Wright possessed experience that could've further helped the team - but that would've only mattered if they lost really.

Maybe the most frustrating aspect of the Wright situation was that it was a rare misjudgment in what was otherwise a very successful rebuild by McClaren.

Throughout the early 2000s, the manager's recruitment was generally spot on, bringing in players like former Valencia icon Gaizka Mendieta and Australia international Mark Viduka.

Viduka scored 42 goals for Boro and managed eight assists in 101 games, signing from Leeds for £4.5m, and helped play a vital role in Boro's two European campaigns, that saw them go all the way to the UEFA Cup (now Europa League) final in 05/06, which they lost to Sevilla.

Ultimately, Alan Wright's brief Middlesbrough career is a reminder that even the most logical transfers can fail.

For a player who had thrived in the top-flight of English football for nearly a decade, he just couldn't seem to impress McClaren more than Franck Queudrue.