Boro Mania

It’s that time of the year again where the club begins to be linked to every man and his dog, so i’d like to cast my own oppinions on some of the more high profile players, players we should definately avoid who we’ve been linked to in the press and players i think would certainly improve Boro as a team.

Press Links:

Luciano Becchio:

Becchio is a player who is currently under contract to Leeds. A former Boca youth player, he hasn’t really established himself despite being highly rated as a youngster. He was snapped up by Mallorca only one year after signing his first professional contract and spent his time ther playing for the B team. Various loan switches to other lower league Spanish clubs ensued before he made the switch to Leeds permanent the summer gone.

Verdict: Becchio is a player who has never played at the highest level. He’s a relative unknown and to sign this player would be not only a great risk, but a drain on funds and wages which could be used elsewhere on a player who might actually benefit the team. He’ll not only be over-priced if we purchase him, but the chances of him doing nothing far out-weigh any chance of him being a success at this level. He’s a player that Boro would do well to stay away from.

Stephen Appiah:

Appiah is a Ghanian defensive midfielder with a distinguished career at club and international level. He began his career playing for Italian club Udinese. But it wasn’t until a few years later that he announced his prescence as a quality player. After a loan spell at then Serie A club Brescia, where he 31 appearances, scoring 7 league goals, he was spotted by Juventus and subsiquently made the move. However, he made little impact on the team and only two years later, found himself on the move to Fenerbahce, where he played alongside Tuncay on many occasions. Unfortunately in the 07/08 season, he suffered a horriffic knee injury and is still recovering to this day. He currently finds himself looking for a new club having left Fenerbahce.

Verdict: Appiah is a strong physical prescence in any midfield and would probably be the Boateng we never had… a strong defensive box-to-box midfielder who can score a couple of goals. Despite declaring himself physically fit, it remains to be seen how high his fitness levels are and how well his injury would stand up to the rigours and physical nature of the Premiership. I’d like to see Appiah in the Boro team as he will add a different option to those of Shawky and O’Neil.

I’d probably sign him on an initial 6-month contract with an option of an extension if he can stay fit and prove himself he can handle this division.

Julian De Guzman:

Not to be mistaken for his younger dutch brother Jonathan De Guzman, Julian is a Canadian international, an unremarkable defensive midfielder currently on the books of Deportivo. He began his career on the books of French club Marseille, however he never made a single appearance. After a two year stint in the German lower leagues, Julian made his name playing for Hannover before being noticed by Deportivo, where he’s spent the previous four years. However unremarkable, his key skills lay in his ability to tackle and is considered a good team player with a high work rate.

Verdict: Julian is a player i’d only suggest signing through injury or desperate needs of midfield backup. What Boro need at the moment is a bit of flair and creativity in midfield and Julian certainly doesn’t offer that. Infact, he doesn’t offer anything more than what Shawky currently brings to the squad.

Steven Defour:

Defour, despite being only 21 has already got a long career under his belt. An attacking midfielder, he posesses a lot of pace and is also a creative midfielder who excels at linking play between midfield and attack. He began his career at Belgian side KV Mechelen where he never made a single appearance. He was allowed to leave on a free and then made the move upto the Belgian first division with Genk. He impressed for Genk and two years later found himself playing for Standard Liege after a £1m move. He’s attracting interest from a lot of clubs including Arsenal. Defour is currently a regular in the Belgian squad, with 20 caps and 3 goals under his belt to date.

Verdict: Defour would be an excellent addition to the squad, given his current ability. But it remains to be seen how interest in other clubs turn out, notably Arsenal. He’s a player Boro should definately look at however interest from other clubs may dictate how much Boro would pay or if Boro would even consider making a bid.

Available for? : Defour could be available from anything between £2.5m upto and above £6m depending on the interest shown in him. Anything higher would probably be out of Boro’s price range.

Axel Witsel:

Witsel is Steven Defour’s 20 year-old team mate at Standard Liege. A home-grown Liege player, he began his career two years ago making 16 appearances for the first team and scoring two goals. His ability obviously wasn’t un-noticed has he immediately tore his way into the first team the season after, establishing himself as one of Belgiums brightest prospects by helping himself to 7 league goals along 33 appearances. He currently has 9 international caps and 2 goals to his name, with many more to come.

Verdict: Witsel is another signing i’d like to see Boro capture. He’s undoubtedly a young star with a bright future, yet interest from larger clubs appears to be steering more in Defour’s direction at the moment. Witsel though arguably has a better technical ability on the ball, while equally being a very creative prescence at the centre of Liege’s squad.

Available for? : It’s unknown how much he’s available for, but i’d speculate that Liege would be hard pressed to turn down a solid bid of around £4m. He’s a definate purchase now or in the future.

Player(s) i think Boro should definately look at now or in the future:

Jonathan De Guzman:

Unlike his brother Julian was, Jonathan is a 21-year old player with very high potential and is currently showing that in the Dutch Eridevisie. Currently playing for Feyenoord, he’s an attacking midfielder with flair and the creative skill needed to both create AND score goals of his own, as he’s shown during his career so far. His on-field performances arent going un-noticed either, with the Dutch international coach keeping close tabs on him. His international credentials currently include 7 U-21 caps and 3 goals.

Verdict: As i’ve stated, hes a very good player, and one currently not on the radar of any of Europes big guns… or if he is, nothing has been revealed. He’s not only a player with a great future, but he would also be capable of fitting straight into the team.

Available for? : If Feyenoord were willing to sell, i’d expect Boro to be paying a fee of in excess of £4m, possibly upto £6m.

Michael Kightly:

Kightly is a player of much potential. Currently playing his trade with Wolves in the Championship, he’s a pacey winger who likes to get into the box and not only score goals, but set them up. He began his career at Tottenham, although he was shipped out to Southend for free without makin a single appearance. Actually, he spent a lot of his early career in the lower leagues, moving from Southend in 04/05 on loan to Farnborough Town and then again to Gray’s Athletic for another free transfer. Wolves have picked up somewhat a gem as Kightly made the move up from the Blue Square straight into their first team making an immediate impact. Kightly continues his bright form again this season with 16 appearances and 7 goals.

Verdict: Again, another bright spark that would add a bit of width to the team to compliment Downing on the left and would give us some much valuable goals from the wide areas. Definately a player with a bright future.

Available for? : Kightly being English, no doubt his value will be inflated. Wolves have stated that they want to keep Kightly and he doesn’t seem to be in too much of a hurry to leave. Bids in excess of £5m might persuade Wolves to talk and i’d expect them to hold out for almost £7m given the nature of Engish players values in the transfer market. Out of Boro’s price range.

Pablo Piatti:

Piatti is an Argentinian forward player who can be played either as a striker or in attacking midfield. Still only 20, he’s a player of much quality much likened to Leo Messi. He began his career back in Argentina with Estudiantes, a top division team where he earned his reputation as one of Argentina’s brightest youth players. His form earned him a summer move to Spanish side Almeria in a deal worth £6m

Available for? : Probably isn’t available at all considering he only moved in the summer, but hes already proving a huge sucess for the Spanish minnows. These are the sort of players i wish Boro would go for, but alas, they slip through our fingers.

Luigi Bruins:

Bruins is one of many young Dutch players to have come onto the scene during recent years. A 22 year old attacking midfielder (what else?), he’s the central midfield partner of Jonathan De Guzman in the Feyenoord squad. He’s A player recognised in Holland for his technique, his eye for a pass and his eye for goal, not only from open play, but free kicks also. Bruins began his career at Excelsior, making huge strides in his first season. In all, he made 66 appearances for Excelsior scoring 10 goals before his £800,000 move to Feyenoord. In his first season at Feyenoord he capped off with  27 appearances and 6 league goals.

Verdict: Like Jonathan De Guzman, Luigi Bruins is a player that would be worth the capture, and could probably fit straight into the squad. He would offer a different aspect to play, laying off with neat through balls and long range passing. He’s also hopefully bag a few goals from the centre, something that he’s already used to.

Available for? : The fact that Feyenoord didn’t pay big money for him would suggest that he might be available for a lot less than De Guzman. Considering he isn’t a home grown player either, they could be persuaded to cash in and make a healthy profit in the process for a fee no less than £3.5m.

To be updated…

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