£4m Middlesbrough deal with Leicester City was worth it despite Premier League snub

£4m Middlesbrough deal with Leicester City was worth it despite Premier League snub

Although they were still recovering from their loss to Norwich City in the Championship play-off final in May, Boro believed they had the makings of a team that could make a comeback to the top division in the 2015–16 campaign.

However, Middlesbrough had to bolster their forward depth after attacking midfielder Lee Tomlin joined Bournemouth and attackers Jelle Vossen and Patrick Bamford returned to their parent clubs, Genk and Chelsea, respectively.

They accomplished this with a former England player and a goal-scoring rival who would be essential to what would prove to be an unforgettable Teesside season.

Arriving to the Riverside Stadium prepared to lead Karanka’s assault, Nugent was signed from the Foxes during the 2015 summer transfer window for a reputed £4 million.

The 30-year-old was considered surplus to needs at the King Power Stadium after only netting five goals for Leicester in the Premier League the previous season. However, Boro seized the chance to acquire a proven shooter because of his lethal goal-scoring record in the second division.

During the first half of the season, Nugent would primarily establish himself as Karanka’s starting center-forward. However, with goals throughout the team being a minor concern, Jordan Rhodes’ big-money arrival from the winter window on deadline day caused him to become more of a rotational player in the second half of the season.

The seasoned striker would still contribute to most of Boro’s games, though, and he would be the mastermind behind some of Middlesbrough’s most important goals this season. On matchday 38, his header in the 91st minute secured a crucial 1-0 victory and three points against promotion contenders Hull City at home.

After that, Nugent provided two crucial strikes. Before he was the one to pass the ball to Cristhian Stuani to score Boro’s lone goal in a 1-1 draw with Brighton on the last day of the season, Rhodes nodded his delivery home in the 91st minute to steal a 2-1 victory away at Bolton. This was sufficient to guarantee promotion on that memorable afternoon at the Riverside.

Nugent’s eight goals and seven assists were invaluable to Middlesbrough during a season in which Karanka’s team only managed 63 league goals, the fewest of any top-six team in the Championship.

Boro probably wouldn’t have had enough attacking threat without them to win enough games and score enough goals to secure automatic promotion slots.

The Premier League beckoned for Boro, and so did the arrival of fresh recruits to bolster their survival hopes. One of a number of eye-catching signings Middlesbrough made in the summer of 2016 was renowned striker Alvaro Negredo, who joined on loan from La Liga side Valencia. “The Beast” would become Karanka’s main man up-front that year, and his nine Premier League goals was actually a far more impressive return than what it may read given the fact Boro scored just 27 league goals that season, as they were relegated back to the Championship at the first time of asking.

Nugent struggled in vain to keep the former Manchester City striker out of the starting lineup because he only made four Premier League appearances in the first half of the season, totaling forty minutes on the field.

Desperate to continue playing regular football at the age of 31, he was moved to Derby County of the Championship in January 2017 for an estimated £2.5 million.

Therefore, even though he was passed over for Middlesbrough’s top flight spot, his contribution to the team’s promotion to the Premier League the previous season made his £4 million transfer fee seem like great value for the Teessiders, even though they lost £1.5 million on him just 18 months later.

With his huge goals and assists, as well as his great character both on and off the field, Nugent was a huge asset to Middlesbrough during that 2015–16 season and will always hold a special place in the hearts of Boro supporters.

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