Why Nottingham Forest had the last laugh with £15m Middlesbrough transfer | OneFootball

Middlesbrough made a massive statement of intent following their relegation from the Premier League in 2017

Middlesbrough didn’t reap the rewards of their £15 million transfer gamble, taken back in 2017 designed to orchestrate an immediate return to the Premier League after suffering relegation.

Nottingham Forest were hovering around the Championship’s no man’s land during the mid-2010s. Under Gary Brazil and Mark Warburton, they were unable to break into the division’s top 10 for a period of five years, which saw them flirt more with relegation instead.

This naturally led to some frustration from supporters at the City Ground, who were desperate to see their side fight at the top of the second-tier, with the ultimate goal of establishing themselves as top-flight regulars once more.

There was one bright spark during those years, however, in the form of Britt Assombalonga.

Known for his mind-blowing speed, physical dominance and clinical nature in front of goal, the striker quickly emerged as one of the division’s most lethal operators.

Joining Forest in 2014, Assombalonga netted 15 goals during his first term at the club, before an injury-hit campaign saw him make just four Championship appearances a year later.

His last season with the Garibaldis was another successful gambit and alerted the attention of teams up and down the second-tier.

Scoring 14 times in 32 league appearances for a sub-par Forest side, Assombalonga bagged a brace against Ipswich on the final day, securing the club’s Championship status at the expense of Blackburn.

This would be his final act in a Forest shirt, with a club freshly relegated from the Premier League preparing to pounce.

Middlesbrough paid over the odds for Britt Assombalonga from Nottingham Forest

After failing to maintain their top-flight status in 2017, Boro landed back in the Championship, determined to secure promotion straight back to the Premier League.

Signed for £15 million, Assombalonga had the task of heading up Gary Monk’s attack as they set out to achieve their goal of promotion.

The Congolese forward scored a reasonable 15 league goals during his first season, but it wasn’t enough. Boro failed to perform to expectations and Monk was dismissed by Christmas.

Towards the back end of the campaign with Tony Pulis now in charge, club-record signing Assombalonga had fallen behind Patrick Bamford in the pecking order.

The former Forest talent certainly wasn’t a failure for Boro; he scored 16 goals the next season, followed by tallies of 11 and five in the following years.

However, Middlesbrough failed to achieve promotion to the top-flight and therefore Assombalonga’s £15 million price tag wasn’t justified.

Assombalonga was, of course, signed as the man to lead Boro back to the big time, and the fact he failed to reach the 20-goal mark in any of his seasons with the club as a £15 million striker means it was a gamble that never truly paid off - even if it was not a complete disaster, either.

Meanwhile, Forest were steadily improving after their relegation scare and began to become play-off contenders once more.

This ultimately culminated in promotion at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, which also happened to be the first season after Assombalonga had exited the Riverside on a free transfer.

Britt Assombalonga wasn’t to blame for Middlesbrough’s shortcomings

Boro approached the transfer market in ambitious fashion after tasting Premier League football again during the 2016/17 campaign, eager to reclaim their place in the top-flight.

That wasn’t to be, but this wasn’t down to Assombalonga.

Yes, he cost a massive sum and didn’t fire the North East outfit to promotion, which would’ve been the sole reason he was recruited.

However, he did score a large number of goals, especially during his first two years at the Riverside.

If the rest of Boro’s team had been up to scratch and capable of securing promotion, there is no doubt that Assombalonga would’ve been a perfect striker to see them return to the Premier League.