Norwich City provided Middlesbrough FC six-figure bargain

Norwich City provided Middlesbrough FC six-figure bargain

After Tony Mowbray left Boro in November 2013, Karanka was appointed as the team’s first foreign manager. Given that this would be his first full-time managerial position following years as José Mourinho’s assistant at Real Madrid, the club viewed it as a significant risk.

After the stormy Gordon Strachan era at the Riverside, the Spaniard was faced with building on the foundations that Mowbray left behind, with Boro sitting in 16th position in the Championship when he arrived, and only five points above the relegation zone.

He would need to completely restructure the playing group in order to accomplish that, and the 2014 winter transfer window was his first significant chance to begin making his mark on his Middlesbrough team.

Daniel Ayala, a center-back for Norwich City, was one such addition. Over the next six and a half years, he would be instrumental in one of the team’s most prosperous eras.

After initially signing a three-month emergency loan agreement with Middlesbrough in October 2013, Karanka had seen enough of his countryman in the brief time they had worked together to get his signature on a permanent basis.

For only £350,000, Boro acquired the then-23-year-old from Norwich City on January 24, 2014. Ayala signed a three-and-a-half-year contract, making Karanka his first long-term addition to the Middlesbrough roster.

It soon became clear that Karanka intended to make Boro meaner and rougher in defense, which is why Ayala took him. The Spaniard was frequently intimidating center-forwards with his powerful physique, even though he was still relatively young. He could also play with the ball at his feet.

He made 19 appearances in his debut season on Teesside, scoring three goals, giving Boro an idea of the threat he would pose at the other end of the field.

In the 2014–15 season, it quickly became evident that Middlesbrough was a football team on the rise as Karanka and his staff worked with more ins and outs.

As the Teessiders moved from mid-table security to serious promotion contenders in the 2014–15 season, players like Emilio Nsue, Lee Tomlin, Adam Clayton, Kike, and Adam Forshaw all joined Boro.

In his first full season in command, Karanka’s team finished in fourth place with just 37 Championship goals given up, the fewest in the division.

Boro’s date with destiny was secured by a two-leg victory over Brentford in the play-off semi-final. They would face Ayala’s old employers, Norwich City, in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium.

Middlesbrough narrowly lost at the last second, and goals from Cameron Jerome and Nathan Redmond would secure the Canaries’ spot in the Premier League for the 2015–16 campaign.

Nevertheless, the guys in red and white had a terrific campaign, and Ayala played a significant role in their accomplishment. After becoming a vital member of Karanka’s defense, he would end that season with four goals in 30 Championship games.

On a spectacular occasion at the Riverside in 2015–16, the team would overcome their Wembley demons and go one step further, gaining automatic promotion on the last day of the season with a draw against Brighton.

Interestingly, Middlesbrough would only give up 31 goals during that season in the Championship, which was the

Under Karanka, the Riverside turned into a stronghold, and his squad set a new club record that season by keeping nine straight home clean sheets. Once again, Ayala played a major role in that accomplishment.

His center-back duo with Ben Gibson was perhaps the greatest in the Championship; their straightforward style combined with their ability to play, pass, and attack made them a terror for the opponent.

Karanka added several players after being promoted to the Premier League, including Calum Chambers and Bernardo Espinoza, both central defenders.

Ayala made just 14 appearances in the top level during Boro’s disastrous 2016–17 season since Chambers and Gibson would end up being the chosen starting choice in center defense.

After Karanka left the team in March 2017, the Premier League will relegate them shortly after. Ayala would be reinstated as a vital starter in the core of Boro’s defense, though, if the team were to return to the second division.

He made 34 Championship games in 2017–18, scoring seven goals and dishing out one assist. In terms of goals scored, it was one of the best individual seasons for a center-back in Middlesbrough’s history.

After two more years of service, Ayala chose to end his Middlesbrough career by joining Blackburn Rovers in September 2020 because he was not promoted back to the Premier League and his contract was coming to an end.

As one of Boro’s best defenders to play for the team in the Championship, Ayala left a lasting impression. He was an essential member of one of Middlesbrough’s greatest defensive teams ever, and Teessiders will always remember him for his tough-tackling, no-nonsense style and string of significant goals.

23 goals, seven assists, 216 appearances, and numerous memorable moments—all for a pittance of £350,000.

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