Middlesbrough are planning to raid Newcastle United for their ace forward Dwight Gayle. Newly appointed manager Garry Monk is planning to add some new players to their side as he is planning for a promotional push.
Boro has been planning an overhaul of sorts since their demotion to the Championship. Chairman Steve Gibson has promised some big money signings as he is very adamant to pull his club back to the big league.
Since the new TV deal has been struck, Championship clubs’ spendings have skyrocketed. The likes of Aston Villa and Wolves broke the ceiling last season as they spent heavily to bring in some exciting players.
Financially Boro are in a very stable situation. Gibson is ready to back Monk with a big transfer kitty. Ben Gibson and Marten de Roon could leave the Riverside Stadium so the Teessiders look to gain a substantial amount from their transfers. Added to that, Boro are destined to set for a windfall from the Parachute payment system so spending money is not a big issue for them.
Monk’s primary target has been Nottingham Forest’s star striker Britt Assombalonga. The forward had an excellent last campaign as he racked up 30 goals in the Championship. Boro are ready to meet his price tag but there are a number of clubs who are also in the line for the forward.
Gayle is Monk’s back up plan. If the ex-Swansea manager somehow fails to get his target, he will then shift his attention to Gayle. Gayle, who enjoyed a stunning season with the Magpies, was one of the main catalysts for Newcastle’s brilliant campaign.
Despite getting relegated, Rafa Benitez helped his side majorly in getting the momentum right as they went on to lift the Championship title. Benitez is likely to seek a new forward as the newly promoted side will be looking to start fresh the next season.
The arrival of a new front man means a substantial reduction in Gayle’s game time. The former Crystal Palace player had an injury-marred season but his reduced playing time didn’t have any effect on his performances as the 26-year-old created havoc in the Championship by scoring 23 times.
So Monk knows if the player can manage an injury free campaign, goals will come. Boro’s main problem was scoring goals last season. In spite of having a star-studded lineup, the Riversiders faltered heavily and Monk has been trying to do some repair work.
