Britt Assombalonga Is Exactly What Middlesbrough Need And They Should Sign Him This Summer
Middlesbrough and new boss Garry Monk are in the market for new striking options and they appear to have Nottingham Forest’s Britt Assombalonga in their sights. The general consensus among Forest fans is that the club would be mad to sell the striker to Middlesbrough, who appear to be preparing a bid.
Forest paid just £5million for the man from Kinshasa and with a proper pre-season under his belt, he could really hit the heights in the Championship season coming. He is hugely important to Nottingham Forest, but the flip-side to that is that he would also command by far the biggest fee in that squad and to a Championship club, that is important too.
In Britt Assombalonga, Boro would get a proven goal goalscorer in the Division. In the 69 games he has played in the Championship for Watford and Nottingham Forest, the Congolese striker has netted 30 times – a more than reasonable strike rate for a centre-forward. He is still improving too, which, for some reason, is a fact going over most people’s heads and has led to him not being scouted too heavily by Premier League clubs.
In the three years he has played at the City Ground, Assombalonga has scored all of his 30 goals in 65 games and that includes a long stretch out of the side through injury. The 24-year-old is barely starting his career in England and is certainly a player who would easily pass 20 league goals next season given the chance, though a lot depends on his team mates and therefore his supply line.
If former Rangers manager Mark Warburton does indeed let Assombalonga go, albeit for a big fee, Middlesbrough will not turn down such a quality forward as they are not in a position to. Given the investment that would be needed in order to land Assombalonga, it would also be crucial for Boro to keep hold of their best midfield players and wingers.
Supply is everything though, and Boro have one huge advantage on other potential suitors; they are already richer than most and have huge parachute payments to come from the Premier League. Money may not be an issue, and Assombalonga would make a terrific signing.